Infidelity
by KyuubiLover100
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Karin married in the middle of spring. Not for love, but because of status. Karin's happy with the bump in her standing in the Konoha Socialite community, but Sasuke is miserable. It isn't because of his new marriage, but because he's never had the freedom to choose for himself. And then he meets her: Haruno Sakura.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hello, everyone! This is yet another story that I am excited to present to you. This idea came about through a collaborative effort with the amazing **hinatagirl18**. This is a _true _**SasuSaku** centric story, so we hope you enjoy it. Welcome to **Infidelity**.

**Infidelity: Chapter 1 – A Chance Yet Life-Changing Encounter**

She wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. She yawned loudly and rubbed the longing sleep from her eyes as she looked out at the empty convenience store in front of her. It was the middle of the night, and she was stuck working the graveyard shift because her co-worker called out "sick" and asked her to cover the shift. She wanted to say no. Hell, she _needed _to say no because she was nearing the thirty-six-hour mark of no sleep at all. But, there she was standing behind the counter with _The_ _Konoha Chronicle_ open in front of her and this week's playlist starting its fourth cycle.

The convenience store she worked in was a local mom and pop type of place and carried the generic convenience store necessities. There were about five rows of snacks, and in the front window was an extensive collection of magazines. They were neatly organized between lifestyle, health, entertainment, and manga. On the wall opposite the main counter was the cooler holding an array of sodas, juice, water, and teas while the wall to the left held their limited alcohol selection.

There were random knickknacks on the tops of the rows that varied from keychains and crafts made from neighborhood artists, and some weeks the selections sold better than others. This week, there had been some adorable animal keychains that sold out after about two days once word got out. She wasn't sure what would sit on the shelves come Monday morning.

The store's bell jingled as the door opened, and she heard the joyous laughter of the store's first patrons in the last three hours. She glanced over at the register and saw it was nearing two in the morning. She had at least another four hours on her shift before the owners came, but that only gave her time for at least a forty-five-minute nap on her train ride back to Konoha University so she can make her eight o'clock lecture.

She closed her magazine and hid it beneath the counter to at least pretend she had been working and started straightening up an already absurdly neat counter.

"Excuse me."

She looked up and saw one of the patrons put two bottles of water and a bag of chips on the counter before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. He had narrow brown eyes, and she wasn't sure if he was bored or irritated by the expression on his face. He had black hair that was tied up into a spiky ponytail, and she couldn't help but think of a pineapple.

"Can I get two packs of Seven Stars," he requested before tapping the clear plastic case on the counter, "and the green lighter, please." He pulled out his ID, and she glanced at it. Nara Shikamaru. Oddly enough, the name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't think of why. She didn't dwell on it long before looking behind her and locating the Seven Stars cigarettes.

"I thought you told Temari you were going to quit smoking?" one of the patrons asked as he walked over and placed his two cans of Monster and bag of dried ramen on the counter.

She scanned the Seven Stars cigarettes before scanning the waters and chips. She typed in the price of the lighter, then she looked at his friend. She saw that Shikamaru's friend had short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He felt oddly familiar, and then she noticed his whisker markings and saw the way he grinned.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?" The blonde looked at her and lit up at the sight of her, "Sakura?"

She smiled a bit, "Long time no see."

"An old friend?" Shikamaru asked as he swiped his credit card and signed the keypad.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. Sakura-chan and I used to play together all the time when we were kids."

"Yeah." Sakura pulled Shikamaru's receipt before unlocking the plastic case and removing the green lighter. She thought to share the circumstances of their friendship, but she found herself remaining silent on the fact that her mother used to make her living by cleaning Naruto's parents' house.

"How have you been?" Naruto asked as he pulled out his wallet while Sakura scanned his items.

"I can't complain," she lied. All she wanted to do was complain, but she remembered her father's saying that complaining doesn't fix a problem, it just helped it fester. "I started studying at Konoha University about two years ago. I just applied to enter into their medical program, so I've been waiting to hear back from them about that."

"Really?" Naruto sounded genuinely interested. "That's amazing, Sakura-chan."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled and then watched as Naruto turned around and look around as though he were looking for someone. Then she heard the bathroom door opened and watched as the person Naruto had been looking for walked out.

He was tall, about Naruto's height, if not an inch or two taller, and he had near shoulder-length pitch-black hair. He wore an expression similar to Shikamaru's but was clearly one of disinterest rather than boredom. His black eyes didn't say much, though. Then she noticed his clothes. He wore a pair of black jeans that were loose enough to not be considered skinny jeans paired with sleek sneakers. He wore a plain white t-shirt with a slight v-neck underneath a leather jacket. Around his neck, he wore a simple chain with a charm at the end, and that's when she recognized him.

"Sasuke, do you want anything? I'll cover it," Naruto said as Sasuke made his way to a cooler and pulled out a glass bottle of lemonade that was notorious for being more bitter than sweet. Naruto visibly cringed while Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

Sasuke pulled a bag of tomato snacks off the shelf before finally making his way to the counter and putting them down, "And a pack of Heaven cigarettes."

Uchiha Sasuke. He was standing on the cover of the lifestyle magazine Sakura had been reading just before they entered. He had been praised as Konoha's most eligible bachelor for the last seven years, with him being next in line to inherit his family's company, Uchiha Enterprise, which was currently valued at a few trillion yen.

The name Uchiha was synonymous with wealth and privilege. Uchiha Enterprise _powered _Fire Country. It was impossible not to see the famous Uchiha Crest stamped on anything that required electricity. From light bulbs to the bullet trains, Uchiha Enterprise powered them.

Sakura pulled a pack of Heaven cigarettes off the wall behind her and started scanning their items. While scanning, she couldn't help but glanced at Sasuke, because she'd only seen him through magazine covers and TV appearances alongside his family.

"Sasuke," Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke's shoulder, "this is a childhood friend of mine, Haruno Sakura. Sakura-chan, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He's getting married tomorrow."

Sakura knew. There wasn't a media outlet that wasn't talking about Konoha's "Wedding of the Century." Not only was Konoha's most eligible bachelor about to be off the market, but it was solidifying a merger between Sannin Industries and Uchiha Enterprise because he was marrying Uzumaki Karin. Granted, she wasn't next in line to run Sannin Industries, but because the Chairman – Namikaze Minato – only had a son, they chose the Senior Vice President's daughter, Karin.

And she was going. Not as a guest, but as a waitress. She worked for the catering company that'd been hired to work the reception, and the training she'd just been through for Karin's and Sasuke's wedding was grueling.

"Congratulations," Sakura said as she bagged their items.

"Thanks," he muttered as he took the bag while Naruto paid for their things. "Hurry up, I still have time to drink myself into a coma."

"Karin would kill me if you did that." Naruto took his receipt from Sakura and tucked away his credit card, "It was really good seeing you again, Sakura. Ah, wait." He searched through his wallet and pulled out a business card. He picked up a pen and scribbled a number on the back before passing the card to Sakura, "That's my personal cellphone number on the back. Call me, and we'll meet up for lunch."

"Lunch sounds nice," Sakura admitted. "I'll give you a call in a few days."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Naruto said with a grin before patting Sasuke's back. "Come on, we have one more stop to make before the night is over."

"Yay." Sasuke was extremely unenthusiastic as he unwrapped his pack of cigarettes and bumped a cigarette out. He held it between his lips and reached into his pocket to pull out a black lighter.

Sakura watched as they headed out of the convenience store, and she couldn't help but switch the security cameras to the outside cameras to see the limo waiting outside. She saw several other young men hanging around outside of it that seemed to be chatting with one another before Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke approached them.

Shikamaru and Sasuke went off to the side and started smoking while Naruto joined the rest of the young men at the limo. She let out a heavy sigh before flipping through the security cameras outside to ensure there wasn't anything else going on. Once she saw it was empty except for Naruto and the others in the parking lot, she switched back to the internal cameras.

"I'm so tired," Sakura whined as she sat on the stool behind the counter and buried her face in her hands. She had half a mind to skip her lecture, but she couldn't afford to miss a class. She was already paying her own way through school, and the thought of missing a class absolutely mortified her, especially when she had calculated how much one lecture cost.

So, Sakura settled on buying another 5-Hour Energy shot to get her through the rest of her shift. To keep herself busy, she straightened up sections that were already neat and swept the floor. She scrubbed down the bathroom, and only had another two or three customers before the sunlight started spilling into the convenience store. Despite how much she hated working the graveyard shift, she always felt like it was worth it when she got to see the sunrise.

At seven o'clock, the owner came shuffling through the front door. He was an older man pushing into his sixties, but despite that, he looked good for his age. It was only in the morning though that his age betrayed him, and he would moan and groan for a good hour or so before he was lifting boxes and doing some heavy lifting in the back.

"Good morning," he said with an impressive yawn as he came behind the register and put down his bag. "Was everything okay?"

Sakura nodded as she quickly removed her apron, "Everything was quiet. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You're not working tonight?" He walked over to the register and opened it. He found a note tucked away in one of the slots and recognized Sakura's handwriting. "Already counted," he read. He chuckled to himself and looked up just in time to see Sakura had already left from behind the register and was heading out the door. "Grab something to eat!"

Sakura quickly turned on her heel and snatched up two granola bars, a bottle of juice, and a bottle of water. She stuffed them all into a bag that the owner had placed on the counter, and with that, she quickly left. As she began to jog, she stuffed the black plastic bag into her backpack and looked down at her watch.

She started running. She had an hour before her lecture, but she still needed to catch the train. Fortunately for her, today was a good day, and she managed to run onto the train before the doors shut. She found a seat near the door and indulged herself in her dry granola bars and tart juice.

"Can you believe Sasuke's getting married?"

"It sucks! I was hoping I'd get to be the future Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke."

"As if. You're hardly Sasuke-sama's type."

Sakura looked over and saw a group of high school girls all looking in _The Konoha Chronicle_. It was a weekly publication detailing the lives of the elite of Konoha. Though it mostly focused on the socialites, it occasionally mentioned more of the obscure individuals like Uchiha Sasuke.

Lately, _The Konoha Chronicle _had been focusing on the developing drama between Outsutsuki Pharmaceuticals and Sannin Industries. Though the two companies had no direct business with one another, there had been issues because the heir to Outsutsuki Pharmaceuticals, Outsutsuki Toneri, had been engaged to the Hyuuga Group's heiress, Hyuuga Hinata. Something or another had happened to where their engagement ended, and not too soon after their engagement had ended was it announced that Hinata would be marrying Naruto.

Rumors spread like wildfire that Hinata had been unfaithful, and though it should've tarnished her reputation, Hinata's previously established persona of being an angel shielded her from any negative press. That and the Hyuuga Group shoveled out a nearly six-figure salary to keep Hinata's name out of the press. Some were saying that Sannin Industries helped extinguish the rumors in a somewhat unorthodox way, however, since there had been rumors for years that high-ranking members of Sannin Industries had ties to local yakuzas.

Nowadays, _The Konoha Chronicle _had pictures of Hinata and Naruto out and about around town, a lot of the pictures showing the two of them holding hands and being an absolutely perfect couple. They were so perfect in fact that they got the hashtag "NaruHina" trending in their city on every social media platform. There were even a few social media pages dedicated to the two that had pictures of them that not even _The Konoha Chronicle _had.

"Now stopping at Konoha University. Now stopping at Konoha University."

Sakura squeezed out of the train with the bulk of people she had ridden with. She borrowed one of the campus rideshare bikes and pedaled herself towards her academic building all the way on the other side of the campus. She maneuvered through her classmates as best as she could, but she gained a few curses along the way. By the time she made it to her building, she hooked the bike up to its designated rack and hurried inside. She made it to her seat just a few minutes before her professor came in and began her lecture.

As Sakura had mentioned earlier, she had recently applied to Konoha Unversity's School of Medicine. It was notorious in Fire Country for having the number one medical program in the country and was infamous for having an acceptance rate lower than fifteen percent. Though Sakura had maintained an above 4.0 GPA since she was in middle school with near-perfect scores on every standardized test she ever had to take, she wasn't too worried about being accepted. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but have a little anxiety about being accepted into the program. However, even if she was accepted, she wasn't sure how she would afford it, considering that her scholarships would only cover half.

The other half would have to come from an educational grant from Uchiha Enterprise. It was only granted to a handful of students who were seeking higher education in science, technology, engineering, and medicine. Luckily for Sakura, Uchiha Enterprise was heavily involved with Konoha University, so Konoha University students usually got first dibs. With Sakura's glowing letters of recommendations from her professors, there wasn't a chance in hell that Sakura _wouldn't _get the grant.

Once her lecture ended, Sakura kept herself awake through two more classes. Fortunately for Sakura, she didn't need to report to her waitressing gig until six that evening, and it was only noon. She grabbed lunch from a campus restaurant and boarded the next train. On her thirty-minute ride, she ate her lunch, and once at her stop, she stepped off the train.

She removed a few bills from her wallet and dropped them into the hat of the homeless man who always hung out on the train platform. She even dropped off a plastic bag with extra food she picked up from a campus restaurant.

"Thank you as always, Sakura-chan," the homeless man thanked her.

She smiled, "You're welcome. Stay safe, okay?"

The homeless man nodded, "Always. Same to you."

"I always am," she assured him before waving and heading down the train platform. While Konoha University was in the upscale part of town, Sakura lived in the nearby rundown neighborhood. It was the cheapest she could afford near the train station. It wasn't exactly safe, but Sakura made it work.

She walked the five blocks to her apartment and climbed the five flights of stairs. She inserted her key, turned the knob, and slightly lifted her door before pressing her weight against the door and forcing it open. It'd been close to forty-eight hours since Sakura had been home, so the sense of relief she felt at the sight of her abysmally small apartment was unparalleled. That was until she saw her bed.

She forced her door shut and applied its many locks before dragging herself to her bed and collapsing on top of it. It creaked beneath her weight, and though she felt a spring or two that nudged her, she didn't care. She only slept when she was nearing exhaustion, so the springs never bothered her. She set her alarm for five, and once she was sure her alarm was set to go off, she fell asleep.

When her alarm went off, she had half a mind to turn it off and stay in bed. Then she remembered how much she was going to make tonight, and hopped out of bed. She took a cold shower to wake herself up, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and was dressed in thirty minutes. She wore light make-up – per Karin's request of _all _the waitresses – and once she was satisfied, she hurried out the door.

"Are you going to be out late tonight, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked down the hall and saw her neighbor, Handa Itsuki, just outside his door with a bag of groceries in hand. He was well-known around the building as "Kuma," because even though he was nearly seven feet and was built like a football player, he was extremely sweet. The children of the building had started calling him "Teddy Bear" whenever they saw him, and it eventually turned into "Kuma."

Aside from being impressively tall, Itsuki had long dark-red hair that was shaggy and often pulled back into a messy half ponytail. He had hazel eyes that were always warm and tanned skin he'd earned from working in construction during the day. At night, he was either a bartender down the street, or a bouncer depending on which paid better that night.

"Yeah." Sakura checked her watch and saw she had a few extra minutes. She walked back down the hallway towards him and took his groceries while he grabbed his doorknob with both hands. Just like Sakura had done earlier, he lifted the door and used his body weight to force the door open.

"I should talk to the landlord about replacing my door," Itsuki grumbled as he hung up his keys on a hook. He took his groceries from Sakura, then noticed her uniform, "Catering job?"

Sakura nodded, "I'm catering the 'Wedding of the Century.'"

Itsuki chuckled, "Really? I bet all your friends are jealous."

Sakura shrugged, "I'm sure they would be if I had any."

"Come on," Itsuki rolled his eyes, "don't do that. You have friends."

"Yeah, you," Sakura assured him. "I'm always working, Kuma. I don't have time to hang out." She glanced down at her watch, "I need to get going, but I'll see you later."

"Uh-huh." Itsuki waved as Sakura hurried down the stairs. He leaned over the railing and called, "Be safe!"

"I always am!" Sakura called back.

The trip to the venue was longer than Sakura would've liked, but then she continued to remember how much she was getting for this job and stopped complaining. After three trains and a cab ride, Sakura made it to the venue and saw dozens of her co-workers arriving as well.

From then on, it was chaotic. Sakura helped carry tables and chairs to their rightful places, while more people followed behind her and draped the tables in table cloths and went to work decorating them. She swept up broken glass and mopped up unsightly scuff marks, and this was all before the wedding guests even began to arrive.

By then, there were the occasional guests who would try to sneak into the reception hall, only to be blocked by security. Sakura helped hang blackout curtains to keep the reception hall out of view from nosey guests and the occasional paparazzo who managed to slip through the first wall of security.

"Pst! Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked around, unsure of who was calling her until she saw the flash of blonde hair disappear around a corner. She looked around to make sure her boss was nowhere in sight, and she slipped away from the crowd and found Naruto hiding just on the other side of the wall.

"Hi," Naruto greeted her with another large grin. "It's funny that I keep running into you."

Sakura couldn't help but smile a bit, "Yeah, it is. What're you doing over here? No one's allowed anywhere near the reception hall until after the ceremony."

"Ah, well, I was hoping to sneak a bottle of vodka from the bar," Naruto admitted. "Sasuke's being a little… difficult right now, to say the least. Do you think you can help me?"

Sakura thought about it for a moment before nodding, "I'll handle it. Now shoo. Ah, wait. Is he in the Groom's Suite?"

Naruto nodded, "He is."

"Okay, give me ten minutes." Sakura pulled a notepad and pen from her apron and scribbled down an order before hurrying off towards the reception hall. She was allowed in, and as she approached the bar, she leaned against it and eyed the piece of paper. "I have an order."

"Not fulfilling anything right now," the bartender responded.

"Ah, really? Even though it's for the groom?" Sakura asked.

The bartender tensed up immediately and let out a nervous laugh, "The groom? Why didn't you say so? What does he need?"

Sakura read off a few simple drink orders followed by the bottle of vodka. The bartender was quick to fulfill the order, once it was on the tray, Sakura headed out the reception hall and made her way to the Groom's Suite. She had to ask for directions a few times, but she eventually made it.

She knocked twice, and before she could knock a third time, the door opened, and Naruto was on the other side. She smiled and showed Naruto the tray of drinks that surrounded the bucket of ice that held the bottle of vodka.

"Mission accomplished," Sakura announced.

"Ah, you're the best," Naruto exclaimed as he stepped aside and let Sakura into the suite. "Over there on that table is fine."

As Sakura entered, she saw several other young men standing around in their matching suits. She didn't see Sasuke, but before she could even put the tray down, Sasuke came from out of nowhere and snatched the bottle of vodka out of the bucket of ice and unscrewed the cap. She stood back and watched as he downed a quarter of the bottle before coming up for air.

"Slow down," one of the groomsmen suggested as he approached Sasuke and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. He was slightly taller than Sasuke with the same pitch-black hair and hair. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and as Sakura looked back and forth between the two of them, she could see the similarities between the two.

"The only way I'm going through with this wedding is if I'm drunk," Sasuke announced. "I told you, and Mother, and Father, that I didn't want to marry her, and that I've never wanted to marry her, yet here we are."

"Sasuke," the groomsmen spoke in a sterner tone now, "we've been through already."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him, "And like I said before, the only way I'm going through with this wedding is if I'm drunk."

The groomsmen looked as though he wanted to explode, but he let out a heavy sigh, "Sasuke…"

"Aniki," Sasuke cut him off, "just at least let me do _one _thing my way today. That can be my wedding present from you. Just…"

"I understand," the groomsmen said with a sympathetic smile before patting Sasuke's cheek. He watched as Sasuke disappeared into an adjourning suite and shut the door behind him. With Sasuke out of the room, the smile faded, and Sakura could see the saddened expression on his face. "Naruto, can you?"

"I can try," Naruto replied. He looked to Sakura and tried his best to wear a smile, but she could see he was concerned, "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded, "Of course."

As Sakura left, Naruto headed into the suite that Sasuke had disappeared into. After that, Sakura made her way back to the reception hall, and from there, the "Wedding of the Century" began. From where Sakura and the other employees stood, they could see that anybody who was anybody in Konoha's high society was in attendance. To put it simply, it was a star-studded event.

As for the prenuptial themselves, none of the employees were allowed into the ceremony. From what Sakura heard, it was per the bride's request. However, after the ceremony, the guests filtered into the reception hall.

Sakura made her way around with trays of champagne. As she made her way through the crowd, she felt someone tap her shoulder, and when she turned, she was surprised to see Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato standing hand in hand and smiling at her.

"I knew I recognized that pink hair," Kushina giggled.

"Aunty Kushina," Sakura exclaimed and carefully hugged her, and giggled when Minato gently pet her head like he used to when she was little. "Uncle Minato. It's been too long."

"It really has been," Minato agreed.

"You've grown so much," Kushina commented as she eyed Sakura. "You were always adorable as a child, but you've certainly grown into a beautiful young woman. How are Mebuki-chan and Kizashi-kun?"

"The same," Sakura answered. "How have you been?"

"We can't complain," Minato replied. "Naruto had mentioned that he ran into you the other day. He says you're attending Konoha University now?"

Sakura nodded, "I am. I'm in the middle of applying for their medical program, but it's ridiculously hard to get into. And not only that, it's pretty expensive, so even if I do get in, I'd have to figure out how to pay for it."

"That'll be easy," Kushina said. "You know about the Uchiha Enterprise Grant, don't you? It's a fund that provides assistance for students seeking a degree in fields related to science, medicine, technology, and mathematics."

"I'm aware of it," Sakura replied. "I've already applied for the grant, but they only fund about five students a year, don't they? I mean, not that my chances aren't already high, but still. Sometimes even some of the most qualified students don't get it because they only give it to so many students a year. And then if I don't – "

Kushina held Sakura's face in her hands and stopped her nervous rant. "Don't worry about the grant," Kushina encouraged. "And Minato-kun will speak with Tsunade-chan about your application into the medical program."

"Huh?" Sakura looked at Minato.

"My mother is in charge of the medical program at Konoha University," Minato informed her. "If you want, I can speak with her about pushing your application through. Of course, if I do that, you'll need to be prepared to do the interview right away."

Sakura pursed her lips together, "I don't know."

Kushina smiled a bit, "Minato-kun, and I don't doubt that you'll be accepted into the program on your own merit and accomplishments. You've always been hardworking and intelligent, so the program at Konoha University will be easy for you once you're in. Just consider this an expedited process."

Sakura looked back and forth between Kushina and Minato. She smiled a bit, then nodded, "I appreciate the assistance."

"Of course." Minato smiled, "You've always been special to Kushina-chan and me, so we want to help in any way we can."

"Sakura, back to work!"

"Ah, yes, sir!" Sakura called back before looking at Kushina and Minato. "It was really great to see you again."

"Get my number from Naruto-kun," Kushina told her. "Call me during the week, and we'll get lunch together."

"I'll do that," Sakura assured her before hugging Kushina once more. She hugged Minato as well, and then she hurried off.

As she continued to serve, she seemed in better spirits. She even managed to make conversation with a few of the guests and managed to get a few of them laughing.

"Presenting for the first time, Mr. Uchiha Sasuke and Mrs. Uchiha Karin!"

Sasuke wasn't smiling, but Karin seemed to be glowing. From where Sakura stood, she could see Karin's ball gown wedding dress that was pure white with crystal embroidering on the skirt. The top part of the dress was form-fitting with more crystal embroidery that shimmered underneath the light.

"At least try and smile," Karin warned through her smile as Sasuke guided her into the reception hall. "I don't want you looking like a prisoner in all of our wedding photos."

"Don't push it," Sasuke countered as he and Karin made it to the center of the dancefloor. "You're lucky I made it through the ceremony without vomiting."

"Yeah, you only vomited afterward," Karin reminded him. "There are too many cameras here for you to act like you're unhappily married right now, Sasuke. No need for bad publicity in the special issue of _The Konoha Chronicle_."

As the band began to play, Sasuke guided Karin in a waltz.

"Publicity and imagery," Sasuke muttered. "Is that all you care about?"

"You know me better than that, Sasuke," Karin cooed. "I care about you. Truly, I do."

Sasuke scoffed, and then he felt Karin's nails dig into his shoulder. He winched and saw she was still smiling, "Don't push it."

"You and I both know that you're not going to blow this up in front of everybody," Karin reminded him. "You don't want to embarrass your mother, or your father, or even your brother. You know how important this marriage is to _both _of our families, so behave like the obedient son you are."

From where Sakura stood, she could see how miserable Sasuke looked, and if she noticed it, she was sure that everyone else did too. After their first dance, the dance floor became flooded, and the party kicked it into high gear. Some people sat at their tables and were served their meals while others stood around and chatted.

Sakura made her runs between the kitchen, bar, and reception hall. She and her co-workers chatted and laughed when they could spare a few minutes, but usually, their boss was quick to notice if someone wasn't working. When Sakura finally got her break, she headed out the back doors of the kitchen and stretched.

"Ugh," she groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. As she shook the work from muscles, she could hear the click of a lighter. That's when she noticed Sasuke sitting on a crate with a lit cigarette hanging between his lips.

She hadn't realized until just now that he had disappeared shortly after his first dance, and from the cluster of burnt down cigarettes that were scattered at his feet, he'd been out there for a while. She saw an empty bottle of vodka beside him with another in his left hand that was nearly empty.

Without saying a word, and without thinking, Sakura took a seat beside him. Sasuke eyed her, and without saying a word, held out his bottle of vodka. She accepted and took a swig, then coughed as the liquid burned the back of her throat as it made its way down to her stomach.

"Oh man," Sakura groaned as she wiped her mouth.

"Never had one-thousand-dollar vodka before?" Sasuke joked as he took the bottle back and took a swig.

"One-thousand-dollars?" Sakura repeated. "I can't say that I have, considering that that's two month's rent."

Sasuke took a drag of his cigarette and flicked the ashes onto the ground, "You're Naruto's friend, aren't you? From the convenience store?"

Sakura nodded, slightly surprised that he recognized her, "I am."

"Say," Sasuke looked at her, "can you keep a secret?"

"Sure." Sakura stretched her legs out in front of her and crossed them at her ankles.

"I'm not happy," Sasuke admitted as he leaned back against the wall behind him. "Like, at all, and I'm losing hope that I'll ever truly be happy," he said with a half-hearted chuckle before finishing the last of the vodka.

"Hm," Sakura hugged her knees, "can I give you a piece of advice?"

"Advice?" Sasuke repeated as he lazily turned his head to look at Sakura.

Sakura nodded, "My father, he's a simple man. He always used to tell me growing up that if I do nothing with my life, and I'm happy with that nothingness, then he'll be proud of me for having lived a full life. I didn't really know what it meant when I was little, but as I got older, I realized that there are a lot of people who do things just to survive and appease others rather than do what they want, or do what makes them happy.

"So, I guess my advice to you is that maybe you should do more of the thing or things that make you happy," Sakura explained. "I can't make any assumptions about your life, or how you've lived your life up until this point, but anyone with eyes and a brain can tell you're miserable. Luckily you're young, so you still have time to be happy."

Sasuke eyed Sakura for a bit. Sakura saw the way he stared at her, and she couldn't help but blush a bit and let out an awkward chuckle, "I'm sorry, was that odd?"

Sasuke smiled a bit and shook his head, "Not at all. What was your name again?"

"Haruno Sakura," Sakura reintroduced herself.

Sasuke held out his hand, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura took his outstretched hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," he replied.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Last Time:**

_** "So, I guess my advice to you is that maybe you should do more of the thing or things that make you happy," Sakura explained. "I can't make any assumptions about your life, or how you've lived your life up until this point, but anyone with eyes and a brain can tell you're miserable. Luckily you're young, so you still have time to be happy." **_

_** Sasuke eyed Sakura for a bit. Sakura saw the way he stared at her, and she couldn't help but blush a bit and let out an awkward chuckle, "I'm sorry, was that odd?" **_

_** Sasuke smiled a bit and shook his head, "Not at all. What was your name again?"**_

_** "Haruno Sakura," Sakura reintroduced herself. **_

_** Sasuke held out his hand, "Uchiha Sasuke."**_

_** Sakura took his outstretched hand, "It's nice to meet you." **_

_** "It's nice to meet you too," he replied.**_

**Infidelity: Chapter 2 – Walking a Thin Line**

"There you are."

Sasuke and Sakura looked towards the kitchen's entrance, and they saw a middle-aged woman with straight black hair and onyx eyes had stepped out. She wore an elegant yet formfitting scarlet red gown paired with diamond earrings, a stunning diamond necklace, and a matching bracelet.

"Mother," Sasuke greeted her as he slowly stood to his feet.

"Honestly, Sasuke-kun." she walked over towards him and straightened up his shirt and tie. "Pull yourself together. You need to come cut the cake with Karin, and then people are going to start giving their toasts."

"Can't you or father cut the cake with Karin?" Sasuke asked as he straightened out his blazer. "After all, the two of you were more gung-ho about this marriage than I ever was."

She sighed, "Sasuke-kun."

"Thanks for listening, Sakura," Sasuke said before he brushed past his mother and headed into the kitchen.

"You're welcome," Sakura called, and then she noticed the dreary look on his mother's face. "Ma'am?"

"Oh," she seemed to notice Sakura for the first time, "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

"Are you all right?"

"I'll be just fine," the woman assured her. "Thank you for keeping my son company. Today hasn't been easy, to say the least. Excuse me."

The woman left in a hurry, and after that, Sakura finished up the rest of her shift. After the cake was cut and the toasts were given, Sakura noticed that Sasuke kept his distance from Karin for the remainder of the night. If anything, Sasuke kept himself by Naruto's side while Karin seemed to float from one group of guests to another.

It was well after two in the morning once the first guests began to leave, and it wasn't until four that the reception hall was completely empty. Sakura, along with the other employees, were stuck cleaning until close to eight in the morning, and once that was done, Sakura made her way home.

She slept well into the afternoon, but once she was up, she showered and got dressed for her graveyard shift at the convenience store. She was still exhausted from working the wedding, but she couldn't afford to take a day off.

"More of the same," Sakura muttered as she walked through the small parking lot of the convenience store and saw a few familiar stragglers hanging around the front of the store. She saw that they were crowded around an expensive-looking sports car that Sakura knew didn't belong in the neighborhood, and she quietly hoped that whoever had stopped by the store was quick to purchase their items and leave before someone got too greedy.

As she walked into the convenience store, she saw the owner sitting behind the counter, chatting it up with a regular, both of whom greeted Sakura as she entered. Then she saw someone unexpected.

"Uchiha-san?" Sakura was taken aback at the sight of Sasuke approaching the counter with another bag of tomato snacks and notoriously bitter lemonade in hand.

"Oh, you're here," Sasuke said.

"I am, considering I work here," Sakura needlessly reminded him as she approached him and folded her arms. "Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon right now or something?"

"I should be, but," Sasuke removed his wallet and swiped his sleek black credit card through the machine, "I'm not. So I'm here instead."

"I wouldn't exactly consider this a prime post-wedding location, but if that's what you're into too, then I guess I can't judge you too harshly about it," Sakura teased, and Sasuke chuckled. At the sight of his smile and sound of his laughter, she realized she hadn't heard or seen either one last night during his ceremony or reception, but only when they were sitting together in that damp alley and mulling over an expensive bottle of vodka.

Sasuke took his black plastic bag from the owner and turned to face Sakura, "Well, I hope you don't judge me too harshly for what I'm about to ask you."

"You want to ask me something?" Sakura tilted her head slightly to the side, quizzical and curious as to what _the _Uchiha Sasuke would want to ask her. Admittedly, she assumed that their interaction last night would be the extent of her "relationship" – to put it generously – with him.

"Seeing as I'm not on my honeymoon right now, and feeling as though I need to thank you for the advice you gave me last night while I was in a deplorable and miserable state, I was hoping that you'd be willing to join me for dinner tomorrow night," Sasuke explained.

"Oh." Sakura wasn't sure how to respond. She pursed her lips together, and she couldn't help but notice the glint in the owner's eyes at the sound of Sasuke's proposition. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you did just get married _yesterday_."

"It's strictly as friends or associates if you're more comfortable with that title," Sasuke assured her. "I understand that it's a bit unorthodox, but seeing the predicament I'm in with my wife off on our honeymoon on her own and not wanting to be anywhere near me right now, I could use a bit of company from someone who isn't my family or a 'friend,' right now."

"She'll be happy to join you," the owner exclaimed. "Isn't that right, Sakura?"

"Ma'am," Sakura whined.

Sasuke smiled a bit, "Great." He took out his phone, "Give me your number."

Sakura felt she couldn't protest any longer and fished out cellphone out of her backpack. They sent each other their contact information, and once Sasuke's information was programmed into Sakura's phone, she suddenly felt an uncomfortable knot in her stomach.

"What's your address?" Sasuke asked. "I need it for when I pick you up tomorrow night."

"Oh," Sakura rubbed her arm, "I live in Lower South, so maybe it'll be best if I just meet you at the restaurant?"

"Your address," Sasuke requested again as he held out his phone. "I'll pick you up around seven."

Sakura hesitated a moment before, once again, reluctantly doing as Sasuke said. She added her address to her entry before handing it back to him.

He tucked her phone away into his pocket before grabbing his bag off the counter. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"See you tomorrow." Sakura watched as Sasuke headed out of the store and climbed into the expensive-looking sports car that didn't belong in the neighborhood.

"Our precious Sakura-chan is growing into quite the fine young lady if she's bagging rich billionaires," the owner squealed as Sakura made her way behind the counter.

"Ma'am," Sakura whined again as she tucked her things underneath the counter and put on her apron. "Please, don't make a big deal out of this. It's just dinner."

"Dinner can lead to a lot of things," the owner warned. "You need to start living your life, Sakura-chan. You're young and beautiful and smart. Men like him would be lucky to have someone like you on their arm."

"I don't have time to live my life," Sakura reminded her. "If I'm not working, I'm studying or in class. If I'm not studying or in class, I'm working. I don't have the luxury of 'living my life' right now. I have responsibilities, and no one is going to take better care of me than me."

The owner sucked her teeth, "Honestly, Sakura-chan! That's no way for someone who's nineteen to speak!"

"I appreciate the concern, Ma'am, I really do, but it's _just _dinner," Sakura assured her. "Now go on, I can cover the store until Otori shows up. You've been here since dawn, I'm sure."

The owner grumbled as she gathered her things and shuffled out from behind the counter. Sakura waved to her as she made her way out of the store through the back, and once she was gone, Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She pulled up a stool and sat down, then leaned on the counter.

"What am I going to do?"

While Sakura mulled over her dinner with Sasuke, Sasuke was focused on other things. As he stopped at a light at a busy intersection downtown, he fished his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts.

He thought to call Karin, but considering the seriousness of their fight last night, he was sure she wouldn't answer. So, he settled on calling Naruto instead. As usual, after two rings, Naruto answered, "Naruto."

"Sasuke? What are you doing calling me?" Naruto questioned. "Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?"

"I'm supposed to be," Sasuke confirmed. "Karin and I got into a pretty bad fight last night, and she decided to rectify the situation but barring me from the honeymoon I paid for."

Naruto sighed, "Seriously? So she's just off to The Land of Tea and Honey on her own?"

"Correct. What're you doing right now?" Sasuke asked. "I need a drink or ten."

"I just got home from a project meeting," Naruto answered. "It ran long, and I'm starving, but Hinata just left, and Konohamaru's on his way over. Apparently, Hanabi kicked him out so that she and Hinata could have 'sisterly bonding time' together or something."

"Order something then, I'm coming over," Sasuke told him.

"All right," Naruto agreed. "See you in a bit."

"See you in a bit," Sasuke said before hanging up. He swung by a liquor store and picked up a few bottles of sake as well as a bottle of vodka before making it to Naruto's building. As he handed his key to the valet and entered the building, he greeted all the usual and familiar faces who worked the lobby.

He entered the code for Naruto's penthouse, and as he rode up, he checked his phone. There were still no messages from Karin, and he wasn't sure if he should be surprised or annoyed. He decided not to think too much about it once the elevator doors opened, and he heard the sounds of videogames coming from the living room.

"What'd you order?" Sasuke asked as he dropped off the sake and vodka in the kitchen before hopping over the back of the couch and landing next to Naruto.

"Sushi," Naruto answered before taking a moment to dap up Sasuke. He and Konohamaru were in the middle of a match in _Guilty Gear, _and from the way Naruto seemed to be button-mashing, Konohamaru was winning.

"Hey Sasuke-senpai," Sarutobi Konohamaru, Naruto's shadow and biggest admirer aside from Hinata, greeted him with a large grin before defeating Naruto with a special move. Konohamaru and Sasuke laughed as Naruto threw his hands up in defeat.

"How's it going, Konohamaru?" Sasuke asked.

"It's going," Konohamaru answered. "I've been prepping for entrance exams like crazy for the last three months, so I'm just ready to get those over with."

"Where did you apply?" Sasuke asked.

"Konoha University," Konohamaru answered. "Their entrance exam is in two weeks, so once that's out of the way, I can focus on finishing up the rest of high school with straight A's and a perfect GPA."

"What'd you bring?" Naruto asked as he got off the couch and headed into the kitchen.

"Sake," Sasuke answered. "The vodka is mine, don't touch it."

"I touched it," Naruto called.

Konohamaru chuckled as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"How are things with you and Hanabi?" Sasuke asked.

"They're good," Konohamaru seemed to light up a bit. "I'm still adjusting to her moving into my apartment, and she's adjusting in her own way too, but we're good. She's taking the entrance exam for Konoha University too, so once we both get in, I think she's going to move with me to an apartment closer to their campus."

"Why did Hanabi move out anyway?" Sasuke asked.

"Teenage rebellion," Naruto called. "Apparently, Father was cracking down on her since Hinata had moved out, and things were getting pretty intense, so she moved out."

"I can understand that," Sasuke grumbled.

"Ah," Konohamaru pulled out his phone, "Sasuke, look. It's my cousin Mirai. She recently started elementary school."

While Sasuke got roped into scrolling through images of Konohamaru with his cousin Mirai, Naruto placed two bottles of sake in the fridge while placing the third bottle in the freezer with the bottle of vodka. He threw out the bag they came in, and as he headed back into the living room, he heard his phone chime.

He saw a picture from Hinata, and he chuckled at the sight of Hanabi and Hinata wearing avocado masks and making silly faces. In return, Naruto snapped a quick picture with Sasuke and Konohamaru in the background and sent it off to Hinata.

"So, what did you and Karin fight about?" Naruto asked as he fell into his loveseat and crossed his ankles. "I thought Karin was especially cautious about your image because you have that special edition of _The Konoha Chronicle _coming out in a few weeks."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I thought so too. And to be quite honest, I don't even know how our fight started. Let alone do I remember what we argued about. I know I wasn't that drunk by the time she and I started getting ready to head to the airport."

"Knowing Karin, it could've been anything," Naruto admitted. "When is she supposed to come back?"

"In a month," Sasuke answered. "My parents don't even know that I didn't go on my own honeymoon, so I need to figure out what to say to them before I show up to work on Monday."

"You're going to go to work?" Konohamaru asked. "You're supposed to be on vacation, so be on vacation. You're overworked anyway, Sasuke-senpai."

"I don't disagree with him," Naruto mused. "I mean, don't lie to Aunty Mikoto and Uncle Fugaku for too long, because that'll just complicate things further, but it's going to be impossible for you to hide. Photographers and journalists from _The Konoha Chronicle _are going to notice you're here, and Karin's not. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure they sent photographers out to The Land of Tea and Honey to document your honeymoon."

Sasuke rubbed his face, "I'll call them in the morning."

"What about Karin?" Naruto asked. "Have you tried contacting her at all today?"

"I tried calling her all morning, but she kept sending me to voicemail," Sasuke explained. "And then she had the audacity to send me a text message saying, 'We'll talk when I get back. See you in a month.' This fucking arrangement was all her goddamn idea, and she was getting on my ass about playing my part for the cameras, yet here she is. It's fucking childish."

"Now you're cussing like a sailor," Naruto noted as he rolled off the loveseat and scrambled into the kitchen. "I'll get you a chilled glass for your vodka."

"Just bring me the bottle," Sasuke requested.

Konohamaru patted Sasuke's shoulder, "There, there."

While Sasuke stressed out about his issues with Karin, Karin wasn't stressed in the slightest. The Land of Tea and Honey was well-known for its traditionalist values and structure with a mix of modernity that appealed to couples of all ages. A majority of the city's original infrastructure from centuries ago still stood, which gave the country a timelessness about it, but mixed with its modernization and incorporation of elements to make it more suitable for tourists, The Land of Tea and Honey became an ideal spot for couples.

Karin had arrived earlier that morning and checked into hers and Sasuke's suite on her own. Despite the severity of their argument, she didn't seem the least bit upset by the fact that she was on her honeymoon alone. If anything, she was glad to be on her own.

She slept in the deluxe king size bed comfortably, and by the afternoon, Karin was lounging around her hotel room without a care in the world. Then, the doorbell rang. She excitedly hopped off the couch and hurried to the door. When she peeked through the peephole, she quickly opened the door.

Standing on the other side was a lean-built young man of average height with straight white hair with a light-blue tint and almond-shaped purple eyes. He wore a smirk on his lips, and at the left side of his mouth, his canine poked out from his mouth, adding a devilish charm to him.

Karin pulled him into the room, and once the door clicked shut, she pulled him into a kiss that was carnal and lustful. He reciprocated the kiss without hesitation, and his hands found their way into her shorts and panties, his rough hands caressing her bottom and squeezing it firmly.

Karin moaned beneath his touch, but it was quickly replaced by a giggle as his lips moved away from hers and made their way to her neck. He teased and nibbled at her neck before stopping and meeting her eyes.

"You're late, Suigetsu," Karin whined.

He smiled a bit, "Sorry. My flight was delayed, and then it was eventually canceled. They transferred me to another flight, but that one had a six-hour layover, but I'm here now." He brushed some of her hair behind her ear before caressing her cheek, "Did you miss me?"

"Of course," Karin answered. "All I've been thinking about is spending time with you."

Suigetsu chuckled, "Is that right? Even when you were up there, reciting your vows to your husband?"

"Even more so then," Karin assured him. "You didn't even speak to me yesterday. It was hard, you know?"

"I'm sorry," Suigetsu apologized. "I had to keep my distance. Seeing you in that dress, and then imagining what I would do to you while you wore that dress, I wouldn't have been able to control myself if I spoke to you."

A smirk crept onto Karin's lip, "Oh? And what exactly did you imagine?"

"Well," Suigetsu pulled Karin closer, "I can show you better than I can tell you."

"Can you? Because luckily for you, I have my dress with me," Karin informed him as she stepped away from him.

"Do you now?" Suigetsu arched an eyebrow as he followed Karin into the bedroom. "Well, if you don't mind me destroying your dress, then, by all means, put it on."

Karin giggled, then screamed as Suigetsu chased her into the bedroom. As Suigetsu caught her at the edge of the bed, his mouth found hers once more. He picked her up, and as she clung to him, he climbed onto the bed and laid her down.

As he broke the kiss and sat up, he quickly removed his shirt, and Karin removed hers. She pulled off her bra as well, and a moan escaped her lips as Suigetsu's mouth latched onto her right nipple. He began to swirl his tongue around the hardening nub and suck on it while his left hand kneaded her left breast. Karin squirmed beneath him as her fingers laced themselves through his hair.

Suigetsu didn't spend too much time on her breasts as he quickly pulled off her shorts and panties and pulled down his own. From what he could tell, Karin was glistening and eager. He waved his finger in a circular motion, and Karin turned over onto her stomach. She raised her bottom into the air while arching her back.

Suigetsu pushed down his own jeans and briefs, allowing his erection to spring free. He tapped it against Karin's folds, and he enjoyed the way she squirmed after each tap. With her bent over in front of him, he used his thumbs to spread her folds, and he admired the view.

"Suigetsu," Karin moaned, "hurry up."

"How long has it been since I've been inside of you?" Suigetsu asked as he playfully rubbed his finger against her entrance. "Four weeks? Six weeks? You told me it was because you wanted to be fresh for Sasuke on your wedding night, but I can't help but wonder if it was in preparation for this moment?"

"We had to stop," Karin whined. "Lady Mikoto had made some comments that made me suspicious of the fact of whether or not she was suspicious of my loyalty to Sasuke."

"Loyalty to Sasuke?" Suigetsu scoffed, "If you were the least bit loyal to Sasuke, then you wouldn't be this wet over me, now would you?"

Karin pursed her lips together, "You know what I mean. I need this marriage to work. _We _need this marriage to work."

"For at least six months," Suigetsu reminded her. "In the meantime, don't think that I'll behave like last time. I can't go that long without you again, Karin."

Without any warning, Suigetsu slid into Karin with ease, and they both let out a pleasurable moan. Karin's body trembled against the bed, and Suigetsu bit his lip as he felt Karin's insides convulsing around him.

"See?" Suigetsu breathed as he slowly pulled out, "You came from just me putting it in. Do you really think Sasuke's going to be capable of satisfying you the way I do?"

"Please don't talk about Sasuke," Karin pleaded.

"No?" Suigetsu slammed into her and smirked at the sound of Karin's moan. "You don't want me to talk about Sasuke, but I'm the one whose deep inside of you less than twenty-four hours after your vows. We're in the hotel he paid for, and on the honeymoon together. If anything, everything around us reeks of Sasuke."

"Suigetsu," Karin whined.

He chuckled, "Don't worry, you and I both know who you belong too."

After that, Karin was at Suigetsu's will. Her moans filled the room, and it didn't take long before she didn't think of Sasuke at all. She had a look of ecstasy on her face as Suigetsu drilled into her and pulled her hair. At times it hurt, but that's when Karin enjoyed it even more.

She begged to be choked and slapped, and Suigetsu happily complied with her requests. She left marks on Suigetsu's arms as she dug her nails into them and occasionally her teeth when she tried to keep from crying out too loudly. She scratched his back and bit his shoulder, and by the time they finished, they had both marked each other.

"We can't do this too much longer, you know," Karin muttered quietly as she lay tangled up in her bed's sheets with Suigetsu. "Sasuke's family is already suspicious of me, and I can't have them interfering in mine and Sasuke's marriage before the six months are up."

"Does it have to be six months?" Suigetsu asked.

Karin nodded, "The prenup is only temporary. I was hoping I would've made enough of a commotion about it that it wouldn't be necessary at all, but Mikoto and Fugaku weren't comfortable with us getting married without one. But, once the six months are up, I'll be entitled to half of Sasuke's estate, which means I can get a sizeable share in Uchiha Enterprise. Enough shares, in fact that I'll be considered a partner."

"And from there, the rest is history," Suigetsu said. "You and I can finally get married and start our family."

"But that's _only _if I can make it through the next six months," Karin argued. "There's a clause in the prenup that I'll lose my stake in Sannin Industries if I commit adultery or cause any substantial damage to the Uchiha reputation. So, we have to be _especially _careful from now on, understand?"

Suigetsu sighed, "Fine."

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Last Time:**

_** Karin nodded, "The prenup is only temporary. I was hoping I would've made enough of a commotion about it that it wouldn't be necessary at all, Mikoto and Fugaku weren't comfortable with us getting married without one. But, once the six months are up, I'll be entitled to half of Sasuke's estate, which means I can get a sizeable share in Uchiha Enterprise. Enough share, in fact, that I'll be considered a partner." **_

_** "And from there, the rest is history," Suigetsu said. "You and I can finally get married and start our family." **_

_** "But that's only if I can make it through the next six months," Karin argued. "There's a clause in the prenup that I'll lose my stake in Sannin Industries if I commit adultery or cause any substantial damage to the Uchiha reputation. So, we have to be especially careful from now on, understand?" **_

_** Suigetsu sighed, "Fine." **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 3 – Sakura's Worries**

On Sunday morning, Sakura's routine was the same. She would wake up just after dawn and go for a run through the neighborhood. After her run, she would stop in at the convenience store attached to her building and pick up a cup of hot tea and a breakfast bento box before heading back up to her apartment. She'd shower and organize the mess she managed to accumulate in her apartment throughout the week, and by the time noon rolled around, she would go to lunch with Itsuki.

Sometimes he would invite her over, and he would cook, but usually, they would go to a local spot to grab a meal. It was ritualistic at this point for the two of them to sit down together and vent out their frustrations from the week. Itsuki usually did the most talking since he would have stories for days from his bartending and bouncer jobs. As for Sakura, she would talk about customers that would come in and out of the convenience store and occasionally complain about school.

However, today, Itsuki sat back and listened as Sakura talked about catering, "The Wedding of the Century."

"I can't even begin to imagine having a wedding as extravagant as that one," Sakura muttered. "I heard some guests talking, and they were saying that the wedding cost a few hundred million yen."

"A _few _hundred million?" Itsuki repeated. "If I had a _few _hundred million yen, I wouldn't be living in my janky apartment."

Sakura giggled, "Yeah. I can't deny it, though, it was a beautiful reception. And the bride's dress was gorgeous, but it was too sparkly for me."

"I can't see you being very sparkly myself," Itsuki chimed and chuckled when Sakura rolled her eyes. "So, if her dress was too sparkly for you, what kind of dress would you like? You know, for your own wedding?"

Sakura tapped her chin, "Hm."

"Are you telling me you haven't thought about your own potential wedding?" Itsuki asked. "I thought that was something that every little girl dreamed of?"

"I dreamed of being a successful doctor with a residency at Konoha Central Hospital," Sakura argued, and Itsuki couldn't help but burst out laughing. Sakura puffed out her cheeks, "Kuma, it's not that funny!"

"It's not that," Itsuki assured her as he wiped away a tear. "I was wondering what you were like as a little girl, and it sounds like that you weren't too different than how you are now."

Sakura looked away, "Hmpf!"

"Oh c'mon," Itsuki reached across the table and poked Sakura's cheek, "you can't stay mad at me. I am paying for this meal, after all. And we're neighbors, so I can be obnoxious and play loud apologetic songs you hear through the wall until you forgive me."

"Fine, fine," Sakura exclaimed as she waved Itsuki's hand away. "You're so annoying."

"I am," Itsuki agreed.

Sakura rolled her eyes again. As their bill arrived, Sakura picked up her phone and checked the time. It was only two, which meant she had seven hours before her dinner with Sasuke. She had half a mind to cancel, but something told her that Sasuke would either show up anyway or bug her until she rescheduled.

"Something wrong?" Itsuki asked as he handed off his card to the waitress.

"Not really," Sakura replied. "Just wondering about the Uchiha Enterprise Grant and my medical school application."

"Didn't I tell you not to stress about those?" Itsuki said. "They'll be idiots to not accept you."

Sakura smiled a bit, "Everyone keeps saying that, but I sometimes wonder if I'm good enough."

"You're more than enough," Itsuki said.

Sakura sighed. Even though she hadn't been stressing out about the Uchiha Enterprise Grant and medical school before, she was now. She knew Itsuki would just continue to tell her not to stress about it, but it was hard not to when this was the thing she'd been working towards for years.

She decided not to focus on it for just a few moments longer as she opened her purse and fished out her wallet. As she did, a business card fell out onto the table, and Sakura lit up at the name on the front.

"Why do you have Uzumaki Naruto's business card?" Itsuki questioned as he watched Sakura flip the card over and dial the number on the back. "Sakura?"

"Sorry, I'll explain later," Sakura promised as she dropped the tip for their waitress on the table. The phone rang twice before Naruto answered, "Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"It's Haruno Sakura," she said. "You gave me your number the other day?"

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sorry, I didn't recognize your voice. What's going on? How are you?"

"I'm doing well," she answered as she stood up and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. "Are you free right now?" She waved to Itsuki and headed out of the restaurant, leaving him slightly irritated.

"Pretty free," Naruto replied. "Wanna hang out?"

"Sure. I'll come to your side of town," Sakura said.

"Nah, I'll come to yours," Naruto suggested. "Text me the address, and I'll be there soon."

"Are you sure?" Sakura nibbled on her lip. "I live in the Lower South, and it's not the safest place for someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Naruto repeated, then he chuckled. "Just give me your address."

Sakura sighed, "Fine. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon."

Sakura hung up and text Naruto her address. She programmed his number into her phone, and before she could put her phone away, Naruto texted her with an ETA. "I guess he lives further away than I thought."

"It's later." Itsuki pulled Sakura out of her bubble.

"Sorry," Sakura apologized as she placed a hand on his arm. "I kinda retreated for a second, didn't I?"

"You did," Itsuki confirmed. "So, why do you have Uzumaki Naruto's business card?"

"He came into the store the other day with Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura explained. "He and I were childhood friends, but we lost contact."

"Childhood friends? How'd you even meet?" Itsuki wondered.

"My mother used to clean his parents' house," she confessed. "She used to bring me along with her because my parents couldn't afford childcare, and Aunty Kushina and Uncle Minato were kind enough to let my mother bring me along. Naruto kind of took to me the minute he saw me, and even though I wasn't that interested in playing with him at first, he kept on trying to be my friend. So, I eventually gave up, and we became close friends almost instantly."

"Interesting," Itsuki muttered. "So, what was the phone call about?"

Sakura arched an eyebrow, "You're full of questions today, aren't you?"

"Just making sure you're okay," Itsuki countered.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "I'm fine. Let's go home."

"No post-lunch ice cream?" Itsuki asked.

"Not today. I need to get back since Naruto's coming over, and then I can't load up on food. I have dinner plans," Sakura confessed.

"Oh? Dinner plans? Let me guess, with Naruto?" Itsuki asked.

"None of your business," Sakura countered. "Now, let's go."

Itsuki stopped with his array of questions. He and Sakura climbed into his car, and he chatted about his upcoming work schedule, which was ultimately going to be brutal. Sleep and work would be the next seven days for him, but admittedly, the impending check would be worth the effort.

"Speaking of extra money," Sakura tapped her chin, "I need to start looking for a job to work this summer."

"Why don't you come and bartend with me down the street?" Itsuki suggested. "You were pretty popular that one time you came down, and you racked in some pretty impressive tips."

"Will your boss hire me back?" Sakura asked.

"I'll talk to him," Itsuki said. He found a parking space in the front of their building and stretched, "He had asked me about you the other day too. So I'm sure you won't even have to come in and test again."

"If that's the case, then that'll work," Sakura muttered. "If I can work there five nights a week, and have three of those nights be Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I can make rent off tips alone. Then with the extra money, I can put that towards textbooks."

"Sakura," Itsuki called as he tapped her forehead. "Worry about that _later_. You still need to finish the remainder of this quarter, don't you?"

Sakura sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry."

Itsuki chuckled. They headed up to their floor, and after a short back and forth of Sakura denying Itsuki entry into her apartment, he reluctantly sulked back to his apartment. Sakura shook her head as Itsuki's disappointment but headed into her apartment alone anyway.

Luckily her apartment was already clean, so all she had to do was wait. She laid out on her bed and preoccupied herself with trashy reality TV. She was about forty-five minutes into an episode of _The Real Housewives of Kiri _when she heard a rhythmic knock on the door that she hadn't heard in years.

She got off her bed and opened her door to see Naruto standing there with his trademark grin on face, "Yo."

"You remembered the knock," Sakura commented as she hugged Naruto.

Naruto hugged her back and chuckled, "Of course I remembered. It was the only way to get your attention when you had your nose buried in a book or your homework."

"Well, now we both know it still works," Sakura said as she let Naruto go and let him into her apartment. "You didn't drive yourself here, did you?"

"Nah, I ubered. Hina wouldn't let me drive myself here," Naruto answered as he stepped into Sakura's apartment and took a look around. Realistically, Sakura's apartment was about the size of Naruto's bedroom.

"Smart." Sakura shut the door and took a seat on the edge of her bed, "Have a seat anywhere."

Naruto took a look around before settling on sitting on Sakura's worn loveseat, "I would've brought Hina with me, but I figured that could wait for another time."

"Hina is your fiancée, right? Hyuuga Hinata?" Sakura asked.

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Yeah. She's very sweet and easy to get along with, so I think the two of you would become fast friends. Actually, we're having our wedding shower in a few weeks, you should come."

"Would that be okay?" Sakura wondered. "I mean, I wouldn't want to impose."

"You wouldn't be imposing," Naruto assured her. "It's just a small get together to celebrate mine and Hinata's nuptials. It was Okaa-chan and Mama Hiyori's idea. Ah, Hiyori is Hinata's mother. Mama Hiyori looks for any excuse to throw a party."

"I wouldn't even know what to wear to something like that," Sakura muttered.

"If you're worried about what to wear, you can talk to Okaa-chan," Naruto said as he pulled out his phone. "She actually called me as I was on my way over here, and she told me to pass on hers and Otou-san's contact information to you. She said you should call her as soon as you can."

"Oh, sure." Sakura pulled out her phone and waited as Naruto forwarded his parents' information to her. Once that was done, Sakura and Naruto spent the next few hours catching up.

Naruto sat back and listened as Sakura talked about the years they didn't see one another. She talked about school and all that she did to earn money and spoke very briefly about her parents. She gushed about the moment she received her acceptance letter to Konoha University, and the overwhelming current pressure she felt about trying to get into their medical program for the Spring.

Naruto shared his previous experience with feeling overwhelming pressure when he finally graduated from Konoha University and began working at Sannin Industries. He admitted to being granted a higher position than a usual graduate fresh out of college, but he didn't get any kind of leeway afterward.

"Wait, you own a hotel?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded, "I do. The Obsidian Hotel on the Far Eastside of Konoha is mine. It was a graduation present."

Sakura let out a half-hearted chuckle, "I always tend to forget how rich your family is."

"Yeah, it's a little ridiculous sometimes," Naruto admitted. "But, if you ever want to stay there, call me, and I'll comp your room."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So, what's bothering you?" Naruto finally asked, and then Sakura began to fidget.

"You noticed?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded, "It's a gift of mine. So, what's going on?"

Sakura sighed. She revealed her upcoming dinner with Sasuke in a few hours, then explained the reason for it. He sat and listened as Sakura expressed her worries for going out in public with someone like him, especially two days after he'd gotten married.

"I will admit that it's a little sketchy for Sasuke to be seen out in public with another woman just days after his wedding, especially since Karin is off on their honeymoon alone," Naruto explained, a sudden seriousness falling over him that wasn't there before. "Hm, I wonder if Sasuke's ready to address the paparazzi?"

Just then, Naruto's phone rang. He picked up his phone, and at the sight of the ID, he hesitated. His phone rang for the third time, then a fourth, and before the fifth ring ended, he answered, "Ino. How's it going?"

"I wish I could say things are going wonderfully, but I need an explanation," the woman identified as Ino seemed to speak in a cheery tone, but that just made Naruto look dreary. "Can you tell me _why _your cousin fired my photographers from documenting her honeymoon, and then called me and told me to publish my special issue of _The Konoha Chronicle _without my full spread?"

Naruto groaned, "Karin, what the hell?"

"What the hell, indeed!" Ino exclaimed. "Now, tell me what's going on?"

It suddenly clicked for Sakura that Naruto was on the phone with one of the Chief Editing Officers of _The Konoha Chronicle_: Yamanaka Ino. She was well-known across the city for being one of the youngest reporters with _The Konoha Chronicle_, and her tenacity and drive to pull an issue together had left a lasting impression on those in the community. It also didn't hurt that her family owned _The Konoha Chronicle_.

"You need to call Sasuke," Naruto told her. "He'll explain it better than I can."

"Do you really think I'd be on the phone with you if I hadn't called Sasuke already?" Ino questioned. "He declined to comment and hung up on me. Look, Naruto, if I don't have pictures of them together on this honeymoon, I have to cancel the entire spread. I want a _complete _spread, not an _incomplete _spread."

"I don't know what to tell you then, Ino," Naruto argued. "If Sasuke won't comment, and Karin didn't comment, then I can't comment. Sasuke's and Karin's marriage is Sasuke's and Karin's marriage. I'm just Sasuke's friend."

"_Best _friend," Ino corrected him. "You know more about Sasuke than Sasuke knows about Sasuke. If there are already issues in their marriage, I'm going to find out, and I'm going to publish that story, I hope you know that."

Naruto groaned, "If you promise not to publish anything about them, I'll do an interview with you."

"And?" Ino asked.

Naruto sighed, "You can photograph our wedding shower and include that in your special edition of _The Konoha Chronicle _that you're planning for mine and Hinata's wedding."

"I don't want the wedding shower, I want the honeymoon," Ino negotiated.

"I'll talk to Hinata, I need to go," Naruto said. He quickly hung up before Ino could rope him in further, and he let out a heavy sigh of frustration. He gave Sakura an apologetic smile, "Sorry. Ino can be a bit relentless."

"So I've heard," Sakura said with a half-hearted laugh. "Is it safe for me to go out to dinner with Sasuke with her already suspicious of him?"

"Probably not," Naruto said, and he noticed Sakura's relief. "I need to go and try to do some damage control. Hopefully, next time we hang out, it's not interrupted like this."

"Hopefully," Sakura agreed.

With that, Sakura walked Naruto out and stood with him while they waited for his ride. He seemed to send one text after another while he stood outside and chatted with Sakura, but as soon as a sleek midsize black SUV pulled up, Naruto was on his phone.

Sakura watched as the driver climbed out of the car, and as soon as Naruto opened the passenger side door, all that dreariness that had settled over Naruto seemed to dissipate at the sight of whoever picked him up. Then, Sakura saw her.

Sakura had always seen pictures of Hyuuga Hinata over the years and thought that she was beautiful in both professional shots and candid shots, but seeing her in person was a different experience entirely.

She had pale skin with waist-length navy blue hair and lavender tinted pupilless eyes. She was shapely, sporting a perfectly balanced hour-glass figure. She seemed to float as she came around to Naruto, and there was an air about her that was warm and bright. And from Sakura stood, she could see just how in love Hinata was with Naruto, and how in love Naruto was with Hinata. She recognized the look because it was how Kushina and Minato always looked at one another when they saw one another.

"Thank you," Naruto said sweetly as he gave Hinata a quick peck, and he couldn't help but chuckle as she pouted in response to the quick kiss. "Sorry, Sasuke, Hinata's pouting."

"Hi Sasuke," Hinata called, her voice soft and sweet. She climbed into the passenger seat, and as Naruto climbed into the driver seat and allowed his phone to connect to his car, he rolled down the passenger side window.

"See you later, Sakura-chan," Naruto called.

"Bye-bye." Sakura waved, and she was slightly surprised that Hinata waved in return.

"We'll chat properly next time," Hinata assured her.

Before Sakura could get clarification on what Hinata meant, Naruto pulled off.

"You were with Sakura just now?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," Naruto answered as Hinata held his hand. He kissed the back of her hand a few times as he turned onto another street and headed towards the access ramp to the intrastate. "You hung up on Ino?"

Sasuke sighed, "She called you?"

"Of course she called me," Naruto argued. "She said that if she finds out you two are having problems already, she's going to publish that story instead."

"Let her," Sasuke said nonchalantly. "Whatever helps me get out of this marriage sooner."

"Sasuke-kun," Hinata scolded.

"Wait, is that why you're going to dinner with Sakura-chan tonight?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke didn't answer immediately.

Hinata pursed her lips together as she saw an irritated expression settle on Naruto's face.

"Sasuke," Naruto smiled, but the corner of his mouth twitched uncomfortably, "don't drag Sakura-chan into this. She's the true definition of an innocent bystander in this. Your issues with Karin are sole _with _Karin. Don't stoop so low as to get Sakura pulled into the tabloids and have her reputation tarnished because you want to get out of a marriage."

"Look," Sasuke sighed, "when I asked Sakura to dinner, I had good intentions. She gave me some advice that I needed the other night, and I wanted to thank her. I hadn't thought of what would happen if someone caught me out to dinner with her until afterward."

"If you want to take Sakura to dinner to thank her, then do so in private," Naruto requested. "I'll offer up Obisidian's restaurant for the night."

"But Stygian is fully booked," Hinata reminded him.

"I'll invite all the affected guests to the grand opening of our standalone Stygian restaurant in the Middle North at the end of Spring," Naruto said. "Listen, Sasuke, I care about you, but in an instance like this, I care about Sakura more. You'll recover just fine from a scandal like this, she won't. If you do anything to hurt her, I'll make sure you never walk again, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

With that, Naruto hung up.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last Time:**

_** "Look," Sasuke sighed, "when I asked Sakura to dinner, I had good intentions. She gave me some advice that I needed the other night, and I wanted to thank her. I hadn't thought of what would happen if someone caught me out to dinner with her until afterward." **_

_** "If you want to take Sakura to dinner to thank her, then do so in private," Naruto requested. "I'll offer up Obisidian's restaurant for the night."**_

_** "But Stygian is fully booked," Hinata reminded him. **_

_** "I'll invite all the affected guests to the grand opening of our standalone Stygian restaurant in the Middle North at the end of Spring," Naruto said. "Listen, Sasuke, I care about you, but in an instance like this, I care about Sakura more. You'll recover just fine from a scandal like this, she won't. If you do anything to hurt her, I'll make sure you never walk again, do I make myself clear?" **_

_** "Crystal." **_

_** With that, Naruto hung up. **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 4 – Something That Shouldn't Bud**

Sakura was relieved when Naruto had told her that it'd probably be best to avoid going to dinner with Sasuke, but when Sasuke text her and told her that they were going to Stygian, she sighed. Not because she was reluctant, but because she was torn. Part of her knew it would probably be best to not go, but another part of her wanted to eat at Stygian.

"Never turn down a free meal," Sakura muttered to herself as she made her way into her bathroom and ran her shower.

She did all that she needed to do to get ready. She made sure to take extra care when washing her hair and blow-drying it. She brushed her teeth twice as long than she usually would, and she even shaved her legs even though she'd already done so the other day. She searched through her closet and found a slightly new, little black dress that she wore solely for special occasions, but when she put it on, she couldn't help but notice it hugged her more than usual.

The dress stopped in the middle of her thighs and cut low in the front, exposing her cleavage. Before, the dress would hang on her, but now it hugged her thighs and hips, accentuating her waist and bottom. She found a pair of matching black heels, and once she put on her jewelry, Sakura caught herself thinking that she should go out more.

She transferred her purse essentials into a black clutch that had been sitting in her closet for months. She spritzed herself with some perfume, and by the time she finished mulling over her appearance, it was time.

Her phone rang, and when she checked her ID, she had half a mind to ignore the call. But she answered, "Hello?"

"I'm downstairs," Sasuke said.

"I'll be down in a minute," Sakura said, then she hung up. She checked her outfit once more. It was too late to cancel, and she didn't have anything else to change into. So, mustering up all the confidence she could, she headed out of her apartment.

While locking her apartment door, she heard Itsuki's apartment door open. She wanted to bolt down the stairs before he saw her, but she knew she'd risk breaking an ankle if she did. She settled on accepting her fate and waited for Itsuki to lock his apartment door.

When he did finally look up and see her, Itsuki stopped. Sakura fiddled with her hair a bit and wore a sheepish smile as Itsuki seemed to stare at her in a way she hadn't seen him do before. There were a few moments of awkward silence between them.

"Do I look weird?" Sakura asked.

Itsuki shook his head, "You look… perfect."

"Oh."

"Ah, sorry! That was weird for me to say, wasn't it?" Itsuki exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head. "You're headed to your dinner?"

"Yeah." Sakura pointed towards the stairs, "Walk down with me?"

Itsuki nodded, "Y-yeah. Of course."

Together, Itsuki and Sakura headed down to the first floor of the building in silence. Sakura made sure to step carefully since their stairs weren't ideal for heels. At one point, she stumbled a bit, to which Itsuki kept an arm around her waist the rest of the way down. To Sakura, it felt strange to have Itsuki's hand clutching her so tightly, but she appreciated the assist.

"He must be something if you're dressing up," Itsuki finally said as they reached the lobby.

"Not really," Sakura replied. "Well, I mean, he _is _something, but it's not that kind of dinner. He's just thanking me for some advice that I gave him the other night."

"Uh-huh." Itsuki didn't seem convinced. He opened the door for Sakura and allowed her to step out ahead of him, but not without him sneaking a peek of her from behind. And he was so preoccupied with admiring the view of Sakura from behind that he didn't notice who she approached.

"Good evening," Sasuke greeted Sakura.

"Good evening," Sakura greeted him.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Sasuke asked as he nodded his head towards Itsuki.

"Hm?" Sakura turned around and saw Itsuki still lingering by the door, "Itsuki? No, he's just my neighbor."

When Itsuki saw Uchiha Sasuke standing in front of their building with a multi-million dollar car parked in front of their building, he realized why Sakura kept who she was going to dinner with a secret. He eyed Sasuke up and down, noting his suit that probably cost more than six month's rent in their building.

"I'm Handa Itsuki," Itsuki introduced himself as he approached the two of them and held out his hand.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke introduced himself as well and shook Itsuki's hand.

"I'm headed to work," Itsuki said as he directed his attention towards Sakura. "Have a nice night."

"Have a good night at work," Sakura said and watched as Itsuki headed off down the street.

"Ready to go?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded. He opened the passenger side door for her, and once she was in, he shut the door and climbed in as well. He checked his phone, noting a few texts from relatives, and once he elected to continue to ignore them, he started his car and pulled away from the curb.

Sakura wasn't sure what to say, and Sasuke didn't seem keen on making small talk. They were about fifteen minutes into their car ride when Sasuke's phone rang, interrupting the smooth jazz that filled the car.

At the sight of the display, Sakura felt a pit in her stomach. As for Sasuke, he wasn't sure to be annoyed or angry.

He answered, "Karin, what the hell?"

"Hi to you, too." Karin didn't sound the least bit bothered about having ignored her new husband for almost forty-eight hours. "Missing me?"

"You're not cute," Sasuke argued. "I've been calling you all day. You were going on and on about how you didn't want me to make a scene and embarrass my family, but you're being a fucking hypocrite."

"If you're going to cuss at me, I'll hang up," Karin warned.

"Hang up if you want to, I can just call Ino and tell her what's happening," Sasuke threatened. "The minute my parents find out, that's it."

Karin groaned, "You're such a brat."

"It takes a brat to know a brat," Sasuke countered.

Sakura just wanted to be swallowed up by literally anything at this point so that she wouldn't have to listen to the rest of their conversation. She knew Sasuke had been miserable at his own wedding, and at first, she thought it was because of the situation itself, but from what Sakura could tell now, Karin wasn't making things any easier.

"I'll have Ino pull the spread," Sasuke declared.

"Are you kidding me? As much money as we spent on that wedding, you're going to deny the public a chance to experience it through our special edition spread of _The Konoha Chronicle_?" Karin questioned.

"First of all, you didn't put a single _penny _isn't that spectacle you call a wedding," Sasuke corrected her. "My father was gracious enough to pay for the affair, and then my mother was kind enough to put our feelers to get you that chandelier you call a wedding dress.

"Second of all, I don't give a damn about the public having a chance to experience anything that has to do with us," Sasuke sneered. "If you want to go off and act like an immature child and point fingers at me while you're doing absolutely nothing to maintain this, then expect consequences."

"You're impossible!" Karin shouted. "Fine, just come to The Land of Tea and Honey, and we can enjoy our honeymoon together. Ino will get her shots, I'll get my feature, and we're all happy. Sound good?"

"I've made up my mind. I'm canceling the spread," Sasuke said. "Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon."

"Wait, Sasuke!"

Sasuke hung up. He tightened his grip on his steering wheel to the point where his knuckles turned white. His anger was nearing its boiling point, and every time Karin called, his anger rose. He was frustrated with the fact that Karin had been so adamant about maintaining an image for the sake of their parents, but then had the audacity to run off to their honeymoon alone. Not only that, she had proceeded to ignore him and send condescending messages claiming that _he'd _been the immature one.

"Uchiha-san?" Sakura called to him.

Sasuke sighed, "Sorry. Sorry… I…"

"It's okay." Sakura meant it. She couldn't even begin to imagine the situation that Sasuke was in, but she was slowly beginning to understand.

Once they arrived at Obsidian Hotel in Northeastern Konoha, Sasuke handed his keys off to the valet before opening the door for Sakura. Sakura was hesitant to take the hand that Sasuke had extended to her, but she accepted his help and climbed out.

Together, the two of them headed into the hotel, and Sakura found herself taking in the hotel. Sakura knew Obisidian Hotel as one of the premier luxury hotels in the city. Though she had only seen pictures of it online, it was something to experience in person.

There was a cool air about the place as Sasuke and Sakura walked over polished stone flooring. To the right of the entrance was a lounge and bar that was crawling with Konoha's younger socialites. Amongst them, Sakura could recognize a few attendees of Sasuke's wedding, but none of them seemed to notice that he was walking by.

"This way," Sasuke called from the elevator.

"Ah, sorry." Sakura hurried over to Sasuke and climbed onto the elevator with him. She couldn't help but notice the elevator was bigger than her bathroom. "This is a really nice hotel."

"It's Naruto's pride and joy," Sasuke commented. "Uncle Minato had just bought the property when he gave it to Naruto as a graduation present. It was an absolute dump when Naruto got it, but within a year, he had remolded the whole place and opened it up to the public. Now this place runs like a well-oiled machine."

"Wow." Sakura had thought about the Naruto she knew as a child, and she hadn't thought of him being a hotel owner. She remembered him being ambitious and rambunctious, but he had a tendency to struggle with schoolwork. However, when he got into something he was truly passionate about, he would exceed any and all expectations.

As the elevator doors opened, Sakura and Sasuke found themselves at Obsidian Hotel's Stygian. Sasuke watched as Sakura seemed to float off the elevator as she was mesmerized by the interior of the restaurant. It had a contemporary interior with a hue of browns that balanced one another across the restaurant.

Then she noticed it was empty.

"Are they closed?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke shook his head as he offered his hand. With Sasuke's help, Sakura descended the short amount of steps to the restaurant's dining room. Then she saw Naruto behind the bar while Hinata sat across from him on the other side of the bar.

"Oh, there you are." Naruto was in the middle of polishing a glass when he saw Sasuke and Sakura. "Welcome to Stygian."

"Where is everybody?" Sakura asked.

"I cleared out Stygian for the night so that you and Sasuke could have dinner in peace," Naruto explained. "Sasuke's newly married, it wouldn't look too good for anyone to see him out to dinner with another woman. In Konoha, gossip spreads like wildfire, and for people like Sasuke and I, and even Hinata, we can recover fairly quickly and easily from rumors and hearsay. However, that's not entirely true for someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Sakura repeated.

"Someone who has everything to lose," Naruto admitted. "The tabloids and blogs aren't kind, and they'll do what they can to drag whoever they can for the sake of drama. Sasuke was adamant about taking you to dinner, and unfortunately, when Sasuke puts his mind to something, there's no changing it. So, I figured I'd make things easier."

Sakura wasn't sure how to feel. She was thankful to Naruto for going out of his way to make sure she was safe, but then she couldn't help but think about the idea of being on the front page of a tabloid or blog. She had too much she wanted to do with her life, and the idea that all of that could be destroyed because of rumors terrified her.

"Don't worry," Sasuke said and pulled Sakura out of her downward spiral. "I'm not going to let them publish anything damaging about you."

"Have a seat anywhere," Naruto said.

"Are you two staying?" Sasuke asked.

"We are," Naruto said. "It is my restaurant, after all."

Once Sasuke and Sakura took a seat together, Hinata and Naruto sat on the other side of the restaurant by the window. While Hinata and Naruto's chatter and laughter were low, it helped ease the tension between Sasuke and Sakura.

"I should apologize," Sasuke finally said once their waiter finished pouring their wine. "I will admit that I hadn't thought about the possible repercussions that would've come with you being seen out in public with me just days after I'd gotten married."

Sakura eyed Sasuke as she took a sip of her wine.

"The last few weeks have been difficult, to say the least," Sasuke explained. "Now, that isn't an excuse for my lack of judgment, but still."

"We're lucky that Naruto thought of it," Sakura said, and Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Plus, I get to experience what it's like to have dinner like a Konoha socialite for a night."

Sasuke chuckled, "I can guarantee that it's not that much different than how you normally have dinner."

"You haven't seen how I usually have dinner," Sakura argued as she unfolded her dinner napkin and watched as a waiter came out with a thick menu.

She watched as the menu was handed off to Sasuke, and he didn't spend any longer than five seconds with it before pointing to something and getting a nod of approval from the waiter. He mimicked Sakura with unfolding his dinner napkin and placing it in his lap, and as he adjusted his cufflinks, he noticed the way Sakura eyed him.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"What did you just order?" Sakura asked.

"Wine," Sasuke answered. "At Stygian, they base your dinner off your wine selection. You get about four to five wines, depending on which course you pick, and the chef cooks your order accordingly. Some are three-course meals, others can go up to five to six."

"That's different," Sakura admitted. "So, how many courses can I expect?"

"Four," Sasuke said. "Whatever you don't finish, they'll box it up for you, so don't try and stuff yourself. Most people usually don't finish. And if you'd like to take anything extra home, then let me know."

"If that's the case, I may take advantage of that kindness," Sakura admitted, and Sasuke chuckled. "It's not often that I get to eat at a high-class restaurant, and there's no telling when I'll be able to eat like this again. I might as well enjoy it for a little while."

"I suppose that makes sense." Sasuke shrugged and leaned back in his chair, "So, Haruno Sakura, what do you do besides cater weddings, work at a convenience store, and give good advice?"

"I'm a full-time student at Konoha University," Sakura informed him. "And you? What do you do besides…be rich?"

Sasuke chuckled, "A few things."

"So specific," Sakura muttered.

"Well, you didn't even tell me your major, so I'm only matching your responses," Sasuke countered.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, and he simply smiled. As their night carried on, Sasuke listened as Sakura told him about her plans to enter into Konoha University's medical program. As she spoke, he noticed a certain glow seemed to radiate from her as she spoke about her hopes and dreams of becoming a general practitioner and helping people.

As their first bottle of wine came out with their food, Sasuke began to give Sakura a 101 on wine and food pairings. Sasuke hadn't noticed at first, but when he poured Sakura a glass of wine and caught a glimpse of Sakura's face, he chuckled.

"Sorry, I sound pretentious, don't I?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shrugged and held her thumb and index finger _very _close together, "Just a little."

Sasuke shrugged in return, "Eh. Pretentiousness comes with being a Konohanian Socialite. From what I hear, we're the worst or the worse, so take that as your first lesson."

"You think I can become a Konohanian Socialite?" Sakura scoffed. "Please."

"You'll be surprised how many doctors and medical professionals make up the scene," Sasuke told her.

As they went through dinner, Sasuke began to feel more relaxed than he ever had been when he would go to dinner with Karin. Sakura seemed to listen with a certain intensity that made it clear that she heard every word he said, and she never interrupted him. He noticed the way she made faces at some of the things he said and laughed at others. Her face was a clear range of emotions that made it clear that she actually heard what was being said.

He appreciated that.

By dessert, the two of them had talked their jaws sore.

"What about your parents?" Sasuke asked as he took a sip of his coffee that had no cream or sugar.

"Mm," Sakura picked away at the best piece of strawberry shortcake she ever had, "there's really not much to tell. My father was an architect with Uzumaki Industries for a long while, but he had a… drug problem. It got in the way of his work, and he got himself fired. Shot up almost everything we owned and left my mother and me with next to nothing.

"As for my mother, she used to clean houses for a living. She doesn't anymore, though."

"I'm sorry about your father," Sasuke said. "I know something like that can't be easy."

Sakura sighed, "It wasn't, but we managed. We always managed."

"If you don't mind me asking, where is your dad now?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shrugged, "Somewhere. Last I heard he had gone to rehab but relapsed shortly after he was released. He's tried to call me over the years, but he's usually either asking for money or looking for a place to stay. I'd seen him take advantage of my mother's love for him for years, and I refuse to let him do the same to me."

Sasuke admired Sakura's resilience, but he couldn't help but notice the pained look behind her eyes. He couldn't even begin to imagine the situation.

"What about your parents?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke let out a light-hearted chuckle, "My father is the definition of traditionalistic morals and values. I swear he's straighter and stiffer than a metal ruler. As for my mother, she's nowhere near as strict as my father, but she can be a bit much sometimes. Especially when it comes to maintaining our family's image."

"And your brother?" Sakura asked.

"Ah, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, and he saw Sakura nod. "He's always been my parents' pride and joy. There isn't anything that he can't do, and for most of my childhood, they would compare me to him. It was exhausting sometimes, and some of the things they would compare us on wouldn't be worth it. Hell, sometimes even now, I find myself getting compared to him, and I'm in my twenties."

"At times like this, I'm glad I'm an only child," Sakura teased and giggled as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I do love my brother, though," Sasuke admitted. "Whenever I would feel down because of our parents, he always knew how to make me feel better."

"He sounds like a good big brother," Sakura commented.

Sasuke smiled, "He is."

Through the rest of their desserts, they avoided the topic of families. When they finished, Hinata and Naruto joined them at their table as they waited for Sakura's extra food to arrive at the table. While they waited, Naruto filled Sakura in on some embarrassing childhood stories of Sasuke's that left him flustered, but luckily for Sasuke, he had a handful of embarrassing stories to share in return.

Hinata whined when Sasuke started to chase Naruto around the restaurant, and Sakura couldn't help but laugh at these two grown men playing tag in an upscale restaurant. Once Sakura's food arrived, Naruto and Hinata walked Sasuke and Sakura out.

"Next time we'll have dinner together properly," Naruto told Sakura as he hugged her.

Sakura giggled, "I'm looking forward to it."

"Drive safe," Hinata told Sasuke as she kissed his cheek.

"Yes, Mother," Sasuke grumbled and laughed when Hinata pinched his arm. "I'll see you later."

Naruto watched as Sasuke drove off, and his smile faded as he pursed his lips together.

"You noticed it too?" Hinata asked.

"If a blind person had been in that room, they would've noticed it too," Naruto told her.

As Sasuke drove Sakura home, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little saddened by the thought of their night ending. As for Sakura, she felt the same. She hadn't had a night out like this well… ever. As for Sasuke, he had had plenty of nights out, but not many of them that he enjoyed. When he would go out with Karin, it was a task because she would only want to go out to let the paparazzi snap pictures of the two of them together. They never went out just to go out.

"Thank you for dinner tonight," Sakura said quietly as she smiled at Sasuke. "I had half a mind not to go with you, but I'm glad I did. I needed this."

"Me too," Sasuke admitted. "I really had a good time, so thank you for being good company."

"You're welcome," Sakura said, and both she and Sasuke laughed.

As Sasuke pulled up to Sakura's apartment, there was a moment of awkwardness between them as Sakura hesitated for a moment too long to get out of the car. Sasuke cleared his throat before climbing out of the car and coming around to Sakura's side to open the door for her.

She quietly thanked him before reaching into the back seat and grabbing her takeout. As she bent over, Sasuke couldn't help but notice the back of her cream-colored thighs and the roundness of her hips. As Sakura stood upright, he cleared his throat and locked his car before helping Sakura step up onto the curb.

"You don't have to walk me up," Sakura told him.

"It'd be rude of me not to," Sasuke told her.

Sakura didn't protest. She didn't want to. Instead, she took Sasuke's arm and made her up to her apartment. She apologized for the lack of an elevator, but Sasuke wasn't sorry.

"Is it safe here?" Sasuke asked as they made it to her floor and headed towards her apartment's door.

"It's safe enough," Sakura lied as she took out her key and unlocked her door. She lifted it before pushing it open, "It's affordable."

"Well," Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, "I guess I'll be heading home. Goodnight, Sakura."

"Goodnight, Sasuke." Sakura smiled at him before stepping into her apartment and shutting the door.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but he let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, "What're you thinking about, Uchiha?"

On the other side of the door, Sakura had her back pressed against the door. She pressed her legs together and slid down onto the floor. She buried her face into her hands and groaned, "What are you thinking about, Haruno?"

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Last Time:**

_** "You don't have to walk me up," Sakura told him. **_

_** "It'd be rude of me not to," Sasuke told her. **_

_** Sakura didn't protest. She didn't want to. Instead, she took Sasuke's arm and made her up to her apartment. She apologized for the lack of an elevator, but Sasuke wasn't sorry. **_

_** "Is it safe here?" Sasuke asked as they made it to her floor and headed towards her apartment's door. **_

_** "It's safe enough," Sakura lied as she took out her key and unlocked her door. She lifted it before pushing it open, "It's affordable." **_

_** "Well," Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, "I guess I'll be heading home. Goodnight, Sakura." **_

_** "Goodnight, Sasuke." Sakura smiled at him before stepping into her apartment and shutting the door. **_

_** Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but he let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, "What're you thinking about, Uchiha?"**_

_** On the other side of the door, Sakura had her back pressed against the door. She pressed her legs together and slid down onto the floor. She buried her face into her hands and groaned, "What are you thinking about, Haruno?" **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 5 – Friends in High Places**

That next morning, Sasuke was woken up by an incoming phone call. He thought not to answer, but when he picked up his phone and peeked at the screen, he knew he'd rather receive his tongue lashing now rather than later.

He let out a low groan and answered his phone, "Good morning, Okaa-chan."

"Sasuke-kun," his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, sounded entirely too cheery for seven in the morning. He knew his mother was only a morning person when something needed to be fixed, and apparently, something needed fixing and that something involved Sasuke.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked as he yawned.

Mikoto sighed, "Would you like to tell me why I was just informed that you went on a date with an escort last night? And not only that, you had the audacity to take her to Stygian?"

Sasuke sighed and rubbed the arch of his nose, "Haruno Sakura isn't an escort. She's a friend. I took her to dinner as a thank you for some advice that she gave me, and then I took her home."

"Well, by these pictures, it's hard to tell that she isn't an escort or some kind of sex worker," Mikoto muttered.

"What pictures?" Sasuke asked.

"Don't worry," Mikoto said, "nothing has been posted publicly. It seems some of the staff at Stygian violated their NDAs and snapped a few pictures of the two of you. If I'm allowed to be honest for a moment –."

"Nothing's ever stopped you from being honest before," Sasuke grumbled.

Mikoto let Sasuke's comment slide, "The two of you seem quite cozy with one another. If I do say so myself, you're practically glowing in these photos, unlike in your wedding photos where you look like you're being tortured."

"You've met the woman I'm married to, haven't you?" Sasuke asked.

"And that's another thing," Mikoto sounded even cheerier than before, and Sasuke finally woke up enough to remember that he shouldn't have answered his mother's call. "Would you like to explain why you aren't on your honeymoon with your new bride?"

Sasuke groaned, "Okaa-chan."

"My apologies, I phrased that as a question, didn't I?" Mikoto asked. "Go ahead and tell me why you aren't on your honeymoon with your new bride."

"Karin and I got into a fight, and she told me she would rather go on our honeymoon on her own," Sasuke explained. "I've been trying to talk to her and reason with her, but she's impossible."

"And what about your spread on _The Konoha Chronicle_?" Mikoto asked. "Everyone was so looking forward to seeing it."

"I need to text Ino and tell her to pull the spread," Sasuke told her.

"No, you won't do that," Mikoto told him. "What you're going to do, is that you're going to go to the Land of Tea and Honey with the team of photographers and get your honeymoon shots in for the spread in _The Konoha Chronicle_. I'll handle this mess you've begun to make with this Haruno Sakura character, and you'll handle your marriage, understood?"

"Okaa-chan." Sasuke sighed.

"That wasn't me asking," Mikoto told him. "Call me as soon as you land and meet up with Karin."

Sasuke rubbed his face, "Yes, ma'am." He hung up and tossed his phone onto his bed.

_I guess my advice to you is that maybe you should do more of the things that make you happy._

Sakura's words resonated with him, but as of right now, he didn't have the freedom to do more of the things that made him happy. He wanted to talk to… Sakura. When he was with her, he didn't feel like he had to put on a façade to satisfy those around him. He was allowed to be himself and say what he wanted to say without the worry of anything he said coming back to bite him in the ass.

Admittedly, he had no reason to trust Sakura as much as he did with the information he did give her, but something told him that Sakura wasn't the type to fish for information just to sell it to tabloids later. She had seemed good. Honest. She hadn't sought him out because she knew who he was, but because he was some pitiful groom drunk off his ass in an alley behind the venue.

He grabbed his phone and found Sakura's number amongst his contacts. Without a moment's longer hesitation, he texted her. _Sorry if it's early, I just wanted to thank you again for the advice you gave me. And thank you for dinner. It was the best meal I'd had in years._

Send.

Sakura's phone chimed. She was half-awake and was seriously considering calling out of work, but she couldn't miss out on the opportunity to earn money. She thought it could be her mother, but much to her surprise, it was Sasuke. She read his text, the sentences full, and not a single trace of text lingo was in his message. She read it again. And once more. And again.

"'It was the best meal I'd had in years,'" Sakura muttered quietly, and she couldn't help but smile. Then she stopped smiling. Why was she smiling? She looked over to her bed, where her wand lay on the bed, hooked up to its charger after Sakura had depleted the battery last night. She had never been happier to have spent the one hundred and twenty dollars on it.

Sakura sighed. _Good Morning. You don't have to keep thanking me, but if you want to keep repaying me, I'm not against more meals. I could use another lesson or two in wine pairings._

Send.

Sasuke was in the middle of brewing coffee when his phone chimed. He half expected there to be a text from Mikoto telling him to fly out, but instead, it was Sakura. He wasn't too surprised that she was awake.

He read her message and couldn't help but chuckle. _That can possibly be arranged. It won't be too soon, though. I have to head out of town for a little while, but I'll take you out as soon as I'm back._

Sakura had a feeling that she knew where he was headed. _Fine by me. I went 18 years without a meal that fancy, I'm sure I can survive 18 more hours before my next one. _

Sasuke laughed. _18 hours? I might've made a monster. _

Sakura: _Be sure to take responsibility. I have to be fed every eight hours and given copious amounts of alcohol on the weekends. _

Sasuke: _Only weekends? Boring._

Sakura: _Weekdays can be negotiated. _

Sasuke: _Are you sure you want to negotiate with me? I'm a damn good negotiator. They call me "The Closer" at work. _

Sakura: _No, they don't. _

Sasuke: _No, they don't. _

Sasuke and Sakura texted back and forth for the rest of the morning. Sasuke had packed a few bags while Sakura made her way to the train station and to work. From the back of Sasuke's town car, he continued to text Sakura, and while Sakura handled the morning shift at her convenience store, she texted him too.

As Sasuke climbed onto his private plane, he reluctantly dialed his wife's number and put it on speaker. He went back to reading Sakura's latest response that consisted of her wishing she had more hours in the day so she could sleep.

Sasuke: _Did you not get enough sleep last night? _

Sakura's face flushed red. She thought about what she had done when she got home and then thought about what she had thought about last night.

Sakura: _I thought I did. My bed is old, so I haven't been sleeping well lately. _

Karin answered the phone, "Why are you calling me?"

"I'll be in the Land of Tea and Honey in six hours," Sasuke warned her. "You're going to be on your best behavior for the photographers and reporters from _The Konoha Chronicle, _and we're going to get through the rest of this stupid spread to appease my parents, do I make myself clear?"

Sasuke: _How old is your mattress?_

Sakura: _Too old. _

Sasuke: _It's time for a new mattress. _

Sakura: _It is, but I am in a constant state of needing money, so I can't afford a new one. Even if I could pay for a mattress, it would just be another used one, and that's one thing I won't buy used. _

Sasuke: _The day you buy a used mattress is the day I reevaluate the legitimacy of your advice. _

Karin sucked her teeth.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing," Karin grumbled.

"I'll see you later," Sasuke said before hanging up.

Sakura: _I can still give sound advice and have crappy furniture. _

Sasuke: _I don't know about that. _

Sakura: _Well, not all of us have a multi-million dollar fortune in our bank account. _

Sasuke: _Billion._

Sakura: _Your pretentiousness is showing again. _

While Sasuke kept himself distracted from the impending doom that was him seeing his wife, his mother sat down to breakfast with Uzumaki Kushina. It was routine for them to meet up once a week for whatever meal their schedules allowed and catch up with one another. This week, it was breakfast on a Monday.

"Have you been waiting long?" Mikoto asked as she approached Kushina's table and hugged her before taking a seat.

"Not at all," Kushina assured her. "I just got here not even five minutes ago. I'm surprised you agreed to breakfast today, though, what with Sasuke-kun's wedding having been this past weekend."

Mikoto sighed, "I wish the wedding itself was the most exhausting part about this weekend, but it isn't. It seems Sasuke-kun and Karin are already having problems."

"What do you mean already?" Kushina asked. "Those two always find a way to bicker with one another. To be quite honest, I'm surprised that you and Fugaku agreed to an arranged marriage between the two of them."

"Fugaku-kun had claimed that it would solidify a connection between the Uchiha and the Uzumaki, but Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun are practically brothers," Mikoto commented as she rolled her eyes. "If anything, Fugaku-kun probably wanted to marry Sasuke-kun off to keep him on a leash."

Kushina raised an eyebrow, "A leash?"

Mikoto eyed Kushina for a moment before their waiter approached. Kushina ordered tea while Mikoto ordered coffee. Once the waiter had left, Mikoto sighed, "Sasuke-kun hasn't always had the same values and morals as Fugaku-kun. If anything, Sasuke-kun has always been our more rebellious child of the two."

"I'm aware," Kushina said.

"Well," Mikoto shrugged, "Sasuke-kun had been talking about leaving Uchiha Enterprise and pursuing other things like art. Do you remember his obsession with painting when he was a child? Despite Fugaku-kun telling him to stop, Sasuke-kun always found a way to keep painting, and even today, he still paints. Corporate work has never been something Sasuke fit into, but Fugaku-kun's hellbent on forcing Sasuke into the mold he's designed."

Kushina furrowed her brows and frowned, "Poor Sasuke-kun."

"Ugh, but now," Mikoto pulled out her phone and handed it to Kushina, "it seems that Karin has gone off on their honeymoon on her own and left Sasuke-kun here. And though Sasuke-kun tells me that the girl he went out with last night isn't an escort, I'm having a hard time believing him."

"Ah, it's Sakura-chan."

"You know her?" Mikoto asked.

Kushina nodded, "Of course. Her father used to work for mine as an architect. Some things happened, and he was fired, and from there, his family just kind of fell apart. Her mother, Haruno Mebuki, used to clean our house for us. Naruto-kun practically sees Sakura-chan as a little sister, and Minato-kun and I see her as family."

"What else can you tell me about her?" Mikoto asked.

From there, Kushina gushed about Sakura for two hours straight. Mikoto listened carefully to everything Kushina said, and the longer she listened, and the more she learned, Mikoto felt bad for having called her an escort in the first place.

"You said she applied for the Uchiha Enterprise Grant?" Mikoto asked as she wiped her mouth.

Kushina nodded, "Yes. She's hoping to become a general practitioner. Minato-kun has been working on getting Sakura-chan an interview with Tsunade, but her schedule is so packed, it's hard to squeeze Sakura-chan in."

"Hm." Mikoto tapped her chin. She picked up her phone and dialed a number, and after a few rings, someone answered, "Dear."

"Yes?" Uchiha Fugaku was on the other end.

"Will you check the applicants for the Uchiha Enterprise Grant? We haven't decided on our final recipient, have we?" Mikoto asked.

"We haven't," Fugaku assured her as he began to tap away at his keyboard. "We'll need to make a decision before tomorrow and get those announcements out Wednesday. The banquet for the recipients is next Saturday, after all."

"If you see the name Haruno Sakura, put her down as our last recipient," Mikoto requested.

"And who is this Haruno Sakura?" Fugaku asked.

Mikoto looked at Kushina and smiled, "According to Kushina-chan, she's a phenomenal young lady who just needs a break."

"Here she is," Fugaku found Sakura's Uchiha Enterprise Grant application and pulled it up. "Straight A's all the way through high school and college with an average GPA of 4.4. An extensive list of extracurriculars, as well as a plethora of volunteer experience. How did we not see her application sooner?"

"I suppose it was an oversight," Mikoto admitted.

"I suppose so," Fugaku agreed. "Very well, I'll notify those in charge of the grant and get things moving with that. Anything else you need?"

"No. Thank you, Dear."

"You're welcome."

Mikoto hung up, and she giggled as Kushina hugged her and rubbed their cheeks together, "Kushina. We're not young enough to be hugged up like this anymore."

"It doesn't matter," Kushina whined. "Thank you, Mikoto-chan. Really, thank you!"

"You're acting as if your own daughter just received the grant," Mikoto whined.

"It feels like that," Kushina admitted with a smile.

In the Land of Tea and Honey, Karin managed to send Suigetsu off long before Sasuke's plane even landed. Karin paid extra to a set of hotel maids who came in and cleaned up and changed the sheets on the bed. Paired with a hefty tip, the maids didn't even remember Karin's name when they left.

When Sasuke did eventually arrive, Karin was lounging on the stretch ottoman that sat at the foot of their extra-large king-sized bed that she and Suigestsu had woken up in that morning.

"So you actually came," Karin noted as he dropped his bags by the bed. "I've missed you."

"Cut the crap," Sasuke grumbled. "The photographers are scouting places right now. They'll come and get us in the morning, and we'll take pictures for the next three days. Once that's done, I'm going back to Konoha, and you can continue to do whatever it is you were doing before I got here."

"Be bored and alone?" Karin asked. "I might as well head home early as well."

Sasuke sucked his teeth. He was hoping Karin would stay. He removed his watch and dropped it in the bowl on the nightstand on the right side of the bed.

"Look, if we want this marriage to work, we have to work together," Sasuke told her.

Karin rolled her eyes, "I am trying to make it work. You're the one that's not listening."

Sasuke scoffed, "If you think I'm going to let you tell me what to do to appease you and uphold this façade that makes _you _look good, then you got me fucked up. When I say'together,' I mean _together_. Meaning you scratch my back, and I scratch yours."

Karin glared at him, "And why exactly should I do anything you ask of me?"

"Because you weren't after me, to begin with," Sasuke told her. "What your after is the status that comes with being _married_ to me. Don't get me wrong, the Uzumaki are quite popular themselves, but you're not even in the main circle. You're the cousin of a cousin of a cousin. You're low on the social ladder that the Uzumaki maintain, but being married to me skyrockets you to the top."

Karin gritted her teeth. Sasuke was right.

"Tell me, did you get your invitation to the White Party yet?" Sasuke asked.

Karin flared up.

"Ah, not yet, huh? I got mine just the other day," Sasuke told her. "Hand-delivered and everything to the office. I'm sure I got one of the handwritten invitations too."

Karin couldn't find the words to combat Sasuke's antagonizing.

"Like I said, if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," Sasuke reiterated. "My patience for you and your adolescent behavior is _extremely _low, so if you want to take full advantage of being my wife, I suggest you start acting like a wife."

Karin clenched her fist and stood up, "Do you honestly think that I want nothing more from you than to reap the benefits of the upper crusts of our community? How shallow do you think I am?"

"You're shallow enough," Sasuke countered.

On impulse, Karin's hand connected with Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke stood still for a moment, and Karin immediately regretted her reaction.

He let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his cheek and looked at Karin. "I'm going to go get some air."

"Sa-Sasuke-kun," Karin stammered over her words, but they were pointless. Sasuke let, and as he violently slammed the door, she flinched.

It was close to two in the morning by the time Sasuke returned to their hotel room. Karin was lounging on the bed when he came in, and she quickly sat up. However, before she could get a word out, Sasuke grabbed his duffle bag and went into the bathroom. She could hear the click of the lock, and she pursed her lips together.

She impatiently waited for Sasuke to come back out, and after about thirty minutes, he came back out in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top with a towel around his neck. He snatched a pillow off the bed and headed towards the living room.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch," Karin said quietly as she followed Sasuke into the living room.

"Goodnight," Sasuke finally said.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun," Karin came around the couch and got on her knees beside it, "I'm really sorry for hitting you. I didn't mean it."

"I said _good night_, Karin," Sasuke said again.

Karin was desperate. There was no real apology that could make up for her hitting Sasuke. If he truly wanted, he could've filed for an annulment with his parents' permission and get it right away if Mikoto and Fugaku were made aware of the fact that Karin struck their son. She bit her lip as she struggled to think of an acceptable solution.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun," Karin got on her knees beside the couch and grabbed Sasuke's arm, "please, talk to me."

Sasuke pulled out his phone and sent a text to Sakura.

Sasuke: _Still alive? _

"There's nothing to talk about, Karin," Sasuke said. "Our first photoshoot starts at nine. Hair and make-up will be here for you at seven, so make sure you're up to greet them."

Sakura: _Somehow. Did you make it to wherever you were going? _

"Your mother always said that we shouldn't go to bed angry," Karin whined. "Don't be angry with me."

Sasuke eyed Karin, and the stern look on his face paired with the ice-cold glare of his abysmal eyes sent a chill down Karin's spine. With that, Karin pursed her lips together and got up. She sulked back into the bedroom, leaving Sasuke alone.

Sasuke: _Yes. It looks like I'll only be here for a few days, and then I'll be back in Konoha. Are you free for lunch next Thursday? _

Sakura: _No. I'm having lunch with Aunt Kushina. And that was 100% against my wishes, but Aunt Kushina is _extremely _pushy. _

Sasuke: _She is definitely extremely pushy. _

Sasuke: _Are you going to Hinata and Naruto's wedding shower in a few weeks? _

Sakura: _I was invited, but I don't know if I'll be able to go. I might be working. _

Sasuke: _You really should work less. You'll run yourself down if you overdo it._

Sakura: _I'll work less once I start making paychecks in the quadruple digits. Until then, while my checks are in the low triple digits, I will continue to work as much as I can._

Sasuke: _Quadruple digits? Checks come that small? _

Sakura: _Your. Pretentiousness. Is. Showing. _

Sasuke: _I can't help it._

Sakura: _Sure, you can't. Well, I'm glad you got to where you were going safe and sound. I can rest easy tonight. Good night, Sasuke._

Sasuke: _Already going to bed? _

Sakura: _Unlike you, I have work in the morning. _

Sasuke: _Boo. But fine, good night. _

Sasuke put his phone on his chest and stared up at the ceiling. He thought of his dinner with Sakura once more and the feeling of enjoyment he'd gotten to experience while with her. Then he thought about her in that dress.

He thought about her cream-colored skin and the way her legs looked. He thought of the way she walked and the subtle sway of her hips as she walked. He thought of the slight shimmer of her emerald green eyes when she talked about her hopes and dreams. He thought of her smile, and of her laugh.

Then he thought of the way she would get slightly flustered when he teased her a little. Or the way she squirmed a bit when trying to pull down the edge of her dress that would ride up when she sat or crossed her legs. He thought of the way she had licked her lips when a drop of wine would be left on her lips and the way she seemed to savor every bite.

He wanted to see more of those expressions. And he wanted to see what other faces Sakura could make. He imagined his hand squeezing her supple bottom and feeling her skin beneath his fingers and wondering if she bit her lip in response. He wanted to feel Sakura's insides wrapped around him and wanted to hear his name come out of her mouth.

He wanted Sakura.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Thank you all for your patience these last few weeks! I appreciated the comments I got in response to my hiatus that showed support and love. It means more to me more than you guys will possibly understand, so thank you for that. I'm doing slightly better, but all in all, my Writer's Block has greatly improved. We're back to our regularly scheduled stories!

**Last Time: **

_** He thought about her cream-colored skin and the way her legs looked. He thought of the way she walked and the subtle sway of her hips as she walked. He thought of the slight shimmer of her emerald green eyes when she talked about her hopes and dreams. He thought of her smile, and of her laugh. **_

_** Then he thought of the way she would get slightly flustered when he teased her a little. Or the way she squirmed a bit when trying to pull down the edge of her dress that would ride up when she sat or crossed her legs. He thought of the way she had licked her lips when a drop of wine would be left on her lips and the way she seemed to savor every bite. **_

_** He wanted to see more of those expressions. And he wanted to see what other faces Sakura could make. He imagined his hand squeezing her supple bottom and feeling her skin beneath his fingers and wondering if she bit her lip in response. He wanted to feel Sakura's insides wrapped around him and wanted to hear his name come out of her mouth. **_

_** He wanted Sakura. **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 6 – Uchiha Enterprise Grant Recipients Banquet**

Sakura was in the middle of restocking shelves in the back when her cellphone rang. Without looking at the caller, she answered and held her phone between her ear and shoulder, "This is Haruno Sakura."

"Good afternoon, this is Uchiha Mikoto of Uchiha Enterprise, how are you doing this afternoon?" Mikoto spoke in an even tone that was comforting, but it put Sakura on high alert.

"Uh, hi!" Sakura's voice came out higher than anticipated as she stepped off her short ladder. "Sorry, that was loud. Hi. I'm doing well, how are you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking," Mikoto replied. "I'm calling you today to congratulate you on being a recipient of the Uchiha Enterprise Grant. Your recommendations were glowing, and your academic record is immensely impressive. I have to say, I was extremely impressed."

Sakura was speechless. Her knees went weak, and she collapsed onto the floor as tears filled her eyes. She hadn't realized she stopped breathing until her chest started to hurt, so she gasped for her and tried to even her breathing.

"Are you all right, Sakura?" Mikoto questioned.

Sakura held back a sob and nodded, "Yes, I'm all right. Sorry. I just didn't expect to get this call today, or ever, really."

Mikoto giggled a bit, "I guess I should apologize, this was a last-minute call. I'm usually much more organized than this, but circumstances changed, and you received a glowing recommendation from Kushina."

"Auntie Kushina?" Sakura repeated.

"Yes," Mikoto replied. "She had nothing but positive things to say about you, and once we took a closer look at your application, we practically kicked ourselves for not noticing sooner. There's always such an overflow of applicants every year that some worthy recipients slip through the cracks, and I'm glad that that wasn't the case this year. It truly would've been a crime if you hadn't received your grant this year."

Sakura was crying now, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, dear," Mikoto replied. "You should be receiving an email shortly that'll contain your acceptance letter. All you'll need to do is click on the embedded link and accept the grant. Also, this email will be the invitation to the banquet we hold every year for the grant recipients. It'll happen next Saturday, so you have some time to find a dress if you don't already have one."

Sakura thought for a moment of the dresses she had in her closet, and none of them were appropriate for a banquet of any kind, "I may need to find myself a dress."

"I'm sure you won't have any trouble," Mikoto replied. "Kushina's already agreed to help you with your dress, and I'm sure she would've demanded you wear something she'd made."

Sakura giggled, "That sounds like something Auntie Kushina would've said."

"Well, I must be getting to this pile of work that's collected on my desk," Mikoto said with a heavy sigh. "I'm looking forward to meeting you at the banquet, Haruno-san. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"You do the same, Mrs. Uchiha," Sakura responded, and with that, they hung up. For a few silent moments, Sakura contained her excitement, but being unable to hold it for a moment longer, she screamed.

In the stockroom of the convenience store, Sakura jumped around and screamed excitedly as the moment she'd been dreaming of had finally become a reality. During her excitement, the store's owner had hurried into the stockroom to check on Sakura. There, he found her in the middle of a dance. When Sakura saw him, she immediately wrapped her him up in a tight hug.

"What's gotten into you, Sakura?" the owner grumbled as Sakura released him.

"I got the grant!" Sakura exclaimed.

The owner lit up at the sound of Sakura's news and immediately joined her in her celebration. Once they stopped celebrating, the owner wiped away her tears and brushed some hair out of her face.

"I am so proud of you," the owner claimed as he held Sakura's face in his hands. "I knew you'd get that grant. There was never a doubt in my mind about it."

"Thank you," Sakura sniffled.

"You take the rest of the day off," the owner suggested. "You work too hard for me in a shop as sleepy as this one."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

The owner nodded, "I'll be just fine. Tomura will be here in a few hours, and I can handle this shop on my own until then. You leave here and go do whatever it is you want to do to celebrate. I'll see you on Monday."

"Monday?" Sakura repeated. "But it's Tuesday. I'm supposed to work for the rest of the week."

"I'm giving you paid leave," the owner told her, "and don't tell anyone I did that for you. And don't tell anyone I'm only doing it because you're my favorite."

Sakura giggled, "Thank you."

"Now go on," the owner ushered her towards the doors. "Grab yourself some food and drinks then head on out. You've earned every bit of it."

Sakura smiled at him, "I really appreciate everything."

"Yeah, yeah." The owner brushed her off but smiled a bit when Sakura gave him a loving kiss on the cheek. "You're going to make this old man blush. Hurry along."

"I'll see you in a week," Sakura told him before heading out of the stockroom and helping herself to whatever she wanted in the store. Once she was satisfied with her haul, she headed out of the store and to the bike rack. She unlocked the latch and stuffed it into her backpack, and just as she climbed onto her bike, her phone rang.

She fished it out and was surprised to see that it was Sasuke calling her. She hesitated to answer, though. The reason is that she felt all too excited to see that he was calling. She hadn't realized she'd been waiting to hear from him all day.

She answered her phone, "Hi."

"Hi." The sound of Sasuke's voice sent a chill down Sakura's spine that she happily welcomed, "I was wondering if you'd answer. I was sure I'd get your voicemail."

"Sorry," Sakura apologized. "I was scrambling to find my phone. How is whatever it is you're doing?"

"Eh," Sasuke answered. "I can't wait to get back to Konoha. Luckily if everything goes according to plan, I should be back home tomorrow night."

"Any plans for when you get back in town?" Sakura asked. She took her duffle bag off her back and put it down beside her as she took a seat on the curb.

Sasuke took a moment to answer, "Possibly. I do owe you a dinner. I'm sure you're well past your eighteen hours."

Sakura giggled, "I'm severely overdue, actually."

"Well, if you'll let me, I'd like to help you with that when I come into town tomorrow night," Sasuke said. "Of course, that's only if I get in at a reasonable hour, unless you're okay with unreasonable hours?"

"Are there any fancy restaurants open at unreasonable hours?" Sakura asked.

"If you have enough money, there can be a couple," Sasuke said.

"Ah, there goes the pretentiousness," Sakura teased.

Sasuke chuckled, "I told you I couldn't help it. But of course, if you're fine with a homecooked meal that's pretty fancy, I can manage that."

"Oh? You cook?" Sakura said.

"I can't eat out every night," Sasuke replied.

"Sure you can," Sakura argued.

"But, as I was saying, if you want me to cook instead, I can do that," Sasuke reiterated. "I could come by your place once I land?"

"Uh." Sakura thought about the size of her apartment, and then she thought about the size of her kitchen. She then proceeded to think about the lack of groceries in her food that wasn't microwaveable or quick prepackaged meals. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"Ah, I guess that'd be a bit much," Sasuke admitted. "Well, if you want to wait until it's a reasonable hour, then we can schedule dinner for a later date."

She wanted to see him.

The thought caught Sakura off guard, "Um, no. We can have dinner tomorrow night, but my kitchen is pretty small. I mean, I do live in a studio apartment."

"Gross, really?" Sasuke said.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Gee, thanks. Not all of us can afford to live in high-rise apartments."

"Sorry, sorry," Sasuke apologized with a light chuckle. "I'll text you my address. You can head over once I land tomorrow night, and I'll be sure to let the doorman know that you're coming."

"You have a doorman?" Sakura asked. "That's excessive."

"Excessive, but very nice," Sasuke admitted.

Sakura laughed a little, but then she remembered the reality, "What about your wife?"

Sakura could hear Sasuke sigh from his end of the phone. There was silence for a moment, and Sakura hated every second of it. And she hated that she wanted to see him as severely as she did.

"My wife has decided to stay here in the Land of Tea and Honey for the entirety of our honeymoon," Sasuke replied. "I only came so that we could take some photos for _The Konoha Chronicle_, but I'll be leaving tomorrow once we wrap up."

"_The Konoha Chronicle_, huh?" Sakura repeated quietly. "Are you sure you shouldn't stay with your wife?"

"She and I aren't exactly on the best of terms at the moment," Sasuke admitted. "Plus, I'd very much like to come home."

Sakura hugged her knees, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said quietly. "So, will you meet with me tomorrow night when I get back?"

Sakura hesitated to answer, but she said, "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Good," Sasuke sounded relieved. "I have to get going now, but I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sakura replied. "Bye, Sasuke."

"See you soon, Sakura." Sasuke hung up.

Sakura hung up, and she buried her face in her hands. She muttered curses to herself for the feelings she felt and prayed that anyone or anything would correct this situation through some form of divine intervention. She sat there wallowing for a little while before finally getting up and climbing onto her bike.

She peddled away from the convenience store and rode in the opposite direction of the train station. She peddled through the clustered neighborhood that the convenience store sat in the middle of before making it to a suburban part of town with nice sized houses and pristine streets.

Compared to Sakura's neighborhood, this neighborhood lacked graffiti, dirty streets, and a vast majority of the unattractive qualities that Sakura's area had. She peddled for a bit along the road before stopping in front of a house. The nameplate above the mailslot read "Kaguya," and Sakura entered the key code for the gate.

It unlocked for her, and she climbed off her bike and pushed it inside. She shut the gate behind her, and just as she pushed the kickstand down, the front door opened. She smiled at the sight of the middle-aged woman standing in the doorway.

"Sakura-chan," the woman greeted her warmly. "I didn't know you were stopping by today. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Supposed to be, but Mr. Ouma let me leave early," Sakura answered as she met the woman at the door and hugged her. "I missed you, Mama."

Mebuki giggled as she hugged her daughter, "You know you're always welcomed to come and see me whenever you want."

"Is Keisuke here?" Sakura asked.

Mebuki nodded, "He's here. Kimimaro is here too."

Sakura didn't seem too thrilled at the news that Kimimaro was around, but she grinned and bore it anyway, "Great."

Mebuki let Sakura into the house, and once the door was shut, she called out, "Keisuke-kun. Kimimaro-kun. Sakura-chan is here."

"Oh?" a voice came from the living room, and Sakura could hear a set of footsteps come towards the living room's entryway.

She watched as the door slid open, and there stood her step-brother, Kaguya Kimimaro. He was just a few years older than her, and he smiled at her in a way that always made her uncomfortable, "Kimimaro-nii."

"Long time no see, Sakura-chan," Kimimaro said. "How's school?"

"It's school," Sakura answered.

"My, my," Kaguya Keisuke, Kimimaro's father, and Mebuki's husband, came down from upstairs and wore a happy grin on his face. He wrapped Sakura in his arms and squeezed her affectionately, "I'm starting to feel like I see you less and less, Sakura-chan."

"Sorry, Keisuke-san," Sakura apologized. "It's good to see you."

"It's always good to see you," Keisuke admitted as he rubbed the top of Sakura's head. "Come on in. I'll make some tea."

"Thank you," Sakura took off her shoes and followed Keisuke into the kitchen. She took a seat at the table and sneered at Kimimaro as he sat across from her. The expression disappeared, however when Mebuki sat beside her and held her hand. "You look happy."

"I am," Mebuki admitted.

Sakura smiled, "I saw those pictures you posted of your trip to Oto. You two look like you had a lot of fun."

Keisuke chuckled as he put on a tea kettle on the stove, "We did. It was nice to get away for a little while."

"You should really go some time, Sakura-chan," Kimimaro said. "Hey, maybe you and I can take a brother-sister trip down there together."

"I'm pretty busy, but thank you, though," Sakura rejected the offer with a quickness. "What're you doing here? Don't you have an apartment downtown?"

"I came by to visit for a few days," Kimimaro answered. "Ever since I started working at Outsutsuki Pharmaceuticals, it almost feels like I get no off-days, so it's nice when I do actually have some free time."

"It must be nice to have some pull at a company your family owns," Sakura commented with a condescending smile.

Kimimaro smiled, but the corner of his mouth twitched, "_Extended _family. I got a job there on my own merit."

"Is that what they call it?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura-chan," Mebuki whined.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at Kimimaro, who narrowed his eyes at her in return. Mebuki shook her head, and Keisuke simply rolled his eyes.

"You're siblings," Mebuki reminded them. "You shouldn't fight like this."

"Yes ma'am," Sakura and Kimimaro said in unison.

"So, what brings you by?" Keisuke asked as he put a set of teacups on the table.

"Oh!" Sakura suddenly remembered why she came over, "I got the Uchiha Enterprise Grant!"

Mebuki burst into tears as she wrapped her arms around Sakura, "Oh, thank God!"

"That's great," Kimimaro congratulated her.

"That's amazing, Sakura-chan," Keisuke exclaimed as he came over and hugged Sakura. "I'm so proud of you."

Wrapped up by both her mother and step-father, Sakura felt happily overwhelmed. She smiled, "Thank you."

As Keisuke poured tea for the four of them, Sakura updated them on recent events, but convenience left out her moments with Sasuke. At the mention of Kushina and Minato, Mebuki seemed to ask a million and one questions about the two of them. Sakura answered as many questions as she could be eventually giving Mebuki Kushina's number.

Kimimaro seemed slightly jealous of Sakura's ability to be at the Wedding of the Century, even if she was only a waitress. Keisuke only seemed able to beam at the news of Sakura receiving the grant. After the update on Sakura's life, they sat around and chatted a while.

It was nearing seven when Sakura finally decided she should head home. Kimimaro offered to drive her home, but she politely declined. Keisuke offered next, and once again, she refused. With that, Sakura hugged her mother before being walked out by Kimimaro.

"Say," Kimimaro got Sakura's attention as she climbed onto her bike, "you haven't heard from Kizashi recently, have you?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the mention of her biological father, "No? Why? Did something happen again?"

Kimimaro rubbed the back of his head as he looked back towards the house, "Sorta. I'm not sure of all the details, but the day I got here, the police were here, and Okaa-chan seemed pretty shaken up. It looks like Kizashi might've shown up here and broke in while Otou-san was at the office."

Sakura flared up, "He did what?"

"Shh!" Kimimaro warned. "Okaa-chan and Otou-san didn't want me to tell you, but I figured you should know in case he shows up around you too. I know you don't like me very much, but I still consider you my sister, and I want you to take care of yourself, okay? If you see him, give me a call."

Sakura pursed her lips together, "Fine. I doubt I'll see him."

"Okaa-chan thought the same thing," Kimimaro said. "Be careful getting home."

Sakura nodded, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Kimimaro stayed out on the street until Sakura turned a corner.

As Sakura peddled home, all she could think about now was the idea of her biological father breaking into her mother's house and scaring her half to death. For Sakura, it'd been close to five years since she'd last seen her father, and since then, she'd only heard rumors. Sometimes, she was sure she'd seen him down some poorly lit alley halfway to death's door, but she never bothered to check and make sure it was actually him.

She figured that wherever he was or whatever he was doing, he was happier doing that than being the man he promised Sakura he would be.

After a long bike ride back to Sakura's part of town, she carried her bike and duffle bag up several flights of stairs to her apartment. She was relieved to be home and up the steps, but when she reached her landing and looked towards her door, her spirits depleted.

Sitting in front of her door, dirtied and sickly looking, was Haruno Kizashi.

"He-Hey," Kizashi stuttered as he scrambled to his feet and smiled at Sakura. "It's been a while, Baby Girl. How ya been?"

Sakura wasn't sure how Kizashi figured out where she lived, or why he was there. During Sakura's time living in this building, she'd dealt with more than a handful of creeps who lingered entirely too long in the hallways, but now she'd come across the one problem she wasn't sure how to handle.

"Hi, Dad."

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **I sincerely apologize for the delay! I started grad school, and I'm still working, and I got distracted by video games. Also, I'm in the process of building a website to serve as my writing portfolio, so once that's complete, I hope you'll all check it out and read some of my work.

**P.S.: **I'm in the middle of transitioning between laptop, and I'm learning to get used to the new one. I went from Windows (five-year-old HP) to MAC (school-issued computer). It's an adjustment, so I apologize in advance if you notice some more typos and errors than usual. I'll try and clean up as best as I can.

**Last Time: **

_** She figured that wherever he was or whatever he was doing, he was happier doing that than being the man he promised Sakura he would be.**_

_** After a long bike ride back to Sakura's part of town, she carried her bike and duffle bag up several flights of stairs to her apartment. She was relieved to be home and up the steps, but when she reached her landing and looked towards her door, her spirits depleted. **_

_** Sitting in front of her door, dirtied and sickly looking, was Haruno Kizashi. **_

_** "He-Hey," Kizashi stuttered as he scrambled to his feet and smiled at Sakura. "It's been a while, Baby Girl. How ya been?" **_

_** Sakura wasn't sure how Kizashi figured out where she lived, or why he was there. During Sakura's time living in this building, she'd dealt with more than a handful of creeps who lingered entirely too long in the hallways, but now she'd come across the one problem she wasn't sure how to handle. **_

_** "Hi, Dad." **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 7 – Sakura's Affliction**

The silence that hung between the two of them was awkward. Kizashi stood there looking like any other street bum of Konoha with his clothes nothing more than tatters and his hair a mess. He was skinnier than the last time Sakura saw him, and his teeth seemed to be in dire need of professional attention. From where she stood, she could see fresh track marks in his arms as well as old scarred ones. She wasn't sure if they were just a few months old, or the same ones she'd seen when she was a child.

"You look well," Kizashi finally said.

"Mm." Sakura couldn't think of an acceptable response. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to. "What're you doing here, Kizashi?"

Kizashi feigned to be struck in the heart, "Addressing me by my first name? Have we really stooped that low in our relationship, Sakura?"

"What do you want?" Sakura hardened her tone. She wanted to scream and force him down the stairs and out the door, but she wasn't one for making a scene.

"Ah, well," Kizashi scratched the back of his neck, "I need some help. You see, I found a rehabilitation center that'll accept me as a patient, but I need a couple thousand to be admitted."

"What's the name of the facility?" Sakura asked.

"Shady Grove," Kizashi answered. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a pamphlet. He held it out at arm's length, and Sakura carefully took it from him. "I've tried getting clean on my own, Sakura, but nothing ever works. I need help. Professional help and this place looks like the place that can do that for me."

Sakura looked through the pamphlet. From what she could tell at first glance, it seemed legitimate. She let out a heavy sigh and looked at Kizashi, "How much do you need exactly?"

"Just three thousand," Kizashi answered. "They said that'll cover my bed and three meals a day."

"You don't have to pay for treatment?" Sakura asked.

Kizashi shook his head, "They're giving me a little leeway considering my circumstances. They said all I needed to do was come up with the money for a room and my meals."

Sakura eyed him.

"C'mon, Sakura," Kizashi sounded desperate. "I don't want to be like this anymore. I want to go back to the life I had before I got myself in this mess. I want my family back. I want you back."

Sakura pursed her lips together. She would never admit aloud that she missed him. She had grown accustomed to her life that didn't include him, but she couldn't help but occasionally wonder what life would be like had Kizashi stayed sober.

"Fine," Sakura agreed. She felt it would be the fastest way to get Kizashi out from in front of her door. "I'll need to go to the bank in the morning if I'm going to withdraw that much, though."

"Of course." Kizashi nodded, "Thank you, Sakura. I really appreciate this. You have no idea."

"Yeah." Sakura put the pamphlet in her bag, but then she noticed Kizashi wasn't moving. She saw him glance at her door, and she let out a heavy sigh, "It's only for tonight."

"Thank you," Kizashi said again as he stepped away from the door.

Sakura let out a heavy sigh as she removed her keys and unlocked her door. She let Kizashi into her apartment first before shutting the door. She showed him where the bathroom was and gave him his own set of towels that she had already decided would be thrown out tomorrow morning. She found an extra pair of sheets and draped them over her couch while Kizashi showered.

Once he was out, he looked much better than he had when Sakura saw him just a bit ago. She had intended to cook when she got home that day, but all energy she had dissipated with Kizashi around. She settled on ordering from the Chinese restaurant a few blocks away. They ate in silence once it arrived, and once Kizashi was full, he fell asleep on the couch.

Sakura sighed as she cleaned up and packed up any leftovers. Even though she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. She didn't have much in her apartment, but she's seen Kizashi steal less valuable things. She settled on staying awake.

She kept herself busy by getting ahead on homework, and in the middle of typing up an assignment on a laptop that Sakura would never admit the age of, she heard her phone buzz. She picked it up to see a text from Naruto, and attached was an invitation to his and Hinata's wedding shower.

"September, huh?" Sakura tapped her pen lightly against the countertop, "That gives me time to scrape some money together and get a gift for them. I'll probably have to work overtime for three weeks straight to afford something on their wishlist, though." Sakura sighed, "Should I go?"

Sakura felt she'd stick out like a sore thumb if she went to their wedding shower. Her pink hair aside, she was a part of the socialite community in Konoha while Naruto and Hinata were. She didn't want to be paraded around as the "poor friend" that they felt Naruto took pity on. Did Naruto take pity on her?

She rubbed her head and let out a low groan of frustration. She knew Naruto didn't have that kind of mentality when it came to her. After all, they had grown up together, and though her mother worked for his parents, Naruto always treated her like an equal. If anything, Naruto had held her up on a pedestal a few times in the past.

For a while, she pondered on what to get the two of them. She considered making something, but she admittedly wasn't the craftiest person on the planet. Then she considered buying something, but when she checked their wish list, she realized three weeks of overtime would've needed to be more like nine. She thought to tap into her savings, but once she remembered she'd already promised a large portion of it to her father, she settled on trying to find another job.

Then she remembered the job at the bar where Itsuki worked. She settled on that and already writing out her schedule for the two months. By the time she finished, it was nearing dawn, and Kizashi started to wake up. She was ready to fall asleep herself, but she didn't have time for that. She had a class in two hours.

"Morning," Kizashi said with a large yawn. "Man, that's the best I've slept in a while. Thanks, Sakura."

"Sure." Sakura tucked away her laptop and closed her notebooks and textbooks. She packed up what she needed for class and zipped her bag shut. "I'm going to go shower and get dressed. We'll leave in a little bit."

Kizashi nodded.

Sakura gathered a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. She checked the shower and saw the annoyingly massive collection of dirt that had gathered in her tub from Kizashi's shower the night before. She sprayed it down with tub cleaner and settled on filling her sink and bathing that way. She'd take a better shower tonight before going to meet Sasuke.

She smiled a bit at the thought of that, and it caught her off guard. She pushed the thoughts aside and cleaned up as fast as she could without compromising her cleanliness and changed. Once she was out of the bathroom, she gave her apartment a quick once over to make sure nothing she thought seemed valuable to Kizashi was missing. Everything _looked _okay from what she could see in her quick glances.

She grabbed her backpack and purse and left with Kizashi. As she was locking up her apartment, Itsuki was coming up the stairs in his usual bodyguard getup. He looked tired and even had a pack of ice on his cheek.

"What happened to you?" Sakura asked as Itsuki started heading towards them.

"Things got rowdy last night," Itsuki explained with a sigh. "Some idiots couldn't hold their liquor, and one thing led to another. No one was seriously injured, but I did have to knock a guy out. That was only after he punched me, though."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Sakura apologized. She waved her hand, and Itsuki leaned down so Sakura could take a look at his bruise. "Hm, the skin is broken. Make sure you clean it up and cover it before going to bed. It doesn't look like it needs stitches, which is good."

"Thank you, Haruno-sensei," Itsuki teased.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Honestly. Oh! Is your boss still looking for a bartender?"

"Hm?" Itsuki stood, "Yeah. Want me to tell him you're interested?"

"Please," Sakura requested.

Kizashi cleared his throat.

Sakura scowled while Itsuki noticed Kizashi for the first time since he got up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, who're you?" Itsuki asked.

Kizashi held out his hand, "Haruno Kizashi. Sakura's father."

Itsuki eyed Kizashi before looking back at Sakura, "Everything okay?"

Sakura nodded. Itsuki was well aware of Sakura's past with Kizashi, so she wasn't all that surprised that Itsuki was less than hospitable towards Kizashi. With Sakura's nod, Itsuki moved past Kizashi and went into his apartment. Kizashi sucked his teeth in response, and Sakura made sure not to acknowledge it.

As they headed towards the nearest bank, Kizashi didn't say anything. Sakura focused on breaking her own schedule for the day and was almost satisfied with the schedule she'd made when Kizashi tapped her shoulder.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Kizashi asked.

"No," Sakura answered without a hint of hesitation. "Wait here, I'll be back out in a minute." Sakura headed into the bank and was fortunately first in line. It took longer than Sakura would've liked to withdraw the money, but she felt she should've expected that.

She had shown up with a man who was fidgeting outside and looking in every possible direction every few seconds. The teller asked a series of questions, and eventually, the manager was called over as well. Once Sakura assured them that she was withdrawing the money willingly, they counted out the cash and tucked it into an envelope for her.

Sakura headed outside, "Kizashi."

Kizashi quickly whirled around. He seemed to have been staring at something across the street, "Yeah?"

"Here." Sakura held out the envelope. Kizashi snatched it and quickly fingered through the cash inside.

"Three thousand," Kizashi muttered. "Thank you, Love. I really do appreciate this."

"Call me from the rehab facility once you check-in," Sakura requested.

Kizashi nodded, "Of course. Ah, but I don't have your number…"

Sakura pursed her lips together. She sighed and fumbled around in her purse for a discarded receipt and a pen. She scribbled her number onto it and handed it to Kizashi, "If I don't answer the first time, just leave a voicemail, and I'll call you back. I usually don't answer unsaved numbers."

Kizashi nodded, "Right. Seriously Sakura, thank you so much for this."

Sakura nodded, "Mm."

With that, Kizashi left. She sighed. Sakura was hoping what Kizashi had told her was true and that the money was going towards rehab, but the twisting knot in her gut told her otherwise. However, she wouldn't have felt all that bad if that money ended up making him disappear for a little while longer. Life had been peaceful without him, and Sakura had felt nothing but anxious for the last twelve or so hours.

She heard her phone chime. She fished it out of her pocket and smiled at the sight of Sasuke's name. She read the text and saw his address pinned to the text. Though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she was looking forward to tonight.

"Hopefully today goes by fast," Sakura muttered quietly.

"Hopefully, today goes by fast," Sasuke said with a sigh as a stylist finished straightening up his bowtie.

"Dying to get away from me already?" Karin teased.

"Yes," Sasuke answered, and there was an awkward silence amongst the stylist.

Karin sucked her teeth, "You could at least pretend."

"I'll put in the same amount of effort you give me," Sasuke reminded her, "and so far, that's been none."

"Hey!" Ino snapped at the two of them. "You're ruining the mood of the shoot! Get it together so we can get some decent pictures out of the two of you, got it?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Karin snarled.

Ino smiled, "A wannabe socialite with a bad attitude. Now shut up and let the stylist finish with your makeup. Sasuke, since you're done, we'll get some solo shots of you."

Karin didn't get a chance to argue, because the look Sasuke shot her was fierce. She averted her eyes and settled down, allowing her team of stylist to finish up her makeup and hair. Sasuke wandered over to where Ino wanted him, and listening to her instructions, he posed naturally.

Yamanaka Sai, Ino's husband and the Director of Photography for _The Konoha Chronicle_, snapped several photos of Sasuke. By now, Sasuke was used to this. He'd done more than enough interviews that came with photo shoots since he was younger. Some were stuffier than others, and he didn't particularly enjoy any of them.

"So, how does it feel to no longer be Konoha's most eligible bachelor?" Ino casually asked.

"Do you want an honest answer, or a nice one?" Sasuke asked as he checked his watch.

Ino tapped her chin, "Let's do both. I'll decide which one ends up in the magazine."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Well, between 'friends' – if I can even call you that – I didn't want this marriage. And aside from that, I didn't pay much attention to the 'eligible bachelor' hype. All in all, this doesn't phase me."

"And the answer that's going to go in the magazine?" Ino asked.

"I couldn't be happier," Sasuke answered in a cheeky tone. "For a while, I felt like I wouldn't be able to find a woman who genuinely loved me for me. I mean, when most women see me, all they see is the money and the glitz and glamor. Though I've never admitted this before, I almost craved that emotional and spiritual connection that I have with Sakura, and I couldn't be happier than I found it."

Sai and Ino stopped.

"What, not good enough?" Sasuke asked.

"You said Sakura," Ino informed him, and she didn't know Sasuke could get any paler than he did in that moment of realization. He was almost Sai's complexion.

"Ah." Sasuke cleared his throat, "I meant Karin. Sorry, with all the cherry blossoms around, I thought the name 'Sakura' would be good for a daughter, if we ever had one."

Ino raised her eyebrow, "So you two have consummated the marriage then? Are you going for kids right away or are you planning on waiting a while."

"Right away, Lord Hagoromo willing," Karin chimed in as she stood beside Sasuke and took his arm. "And 'Sakura' sounds like a beautiful name."

The remainder of the photoshoot carried on smoothly. Once it was done, Sasuke and Karin headed back to their hotel room. Neither of them said a word, and as Sasuke began to pack his back, Karin simply sat and watched him.

"What?" Sasuke asked as a zipped his duffle bag shut.

"You should stay," Karin requested.

Sasuke scoffed, "You were just telling me this morning how relieved you were that I was leaving today. What's changed your mind?"

Karin pursed her lips together, "I just think that if we're going to make this marriage work, we should, I don't know, work on it."

Sasuke sighed, "You only wanted this marriage to elevate your status. You and I both know that a marriage merger wasn't necessary to solidify ties between Uzumaki Industries and Uchiha Enterprise. The only reason my parents agreed to this is because logistically speaking, it made the most sense for me to marry you."

"When did you become so cold?" Karin asked. "You used to actually care."

"I stopped caring when I caught you in bed with Suigetsu," Sasuke said coldly, and Karin's blood ran cold. "Did you _really _think that I'd forgiven you for that?"

"That was seven years ago!" Karin argued. "I've bent over backwards to prove to you that I do love you and that I do care about you. What happened with Suigetsu was a mistake. When are you going to stop punishing me for a childish mistake?"

Sasuke sighed, "I doubt you'd consider this punishment had you left it alone."

Karin clenched her teeth, "Sasuke."

"Are you staying here for the whole two months?" Sasuke asked.

Karin quietly nodded.

"Fine." Sasuke picked up his wallet and phone, "Make sure you're back in time for my family's charity event." Sasuke reached into his wallet and tossed a black credit card onto the bed, "That's yours. It's attached to my account, and there's a spending limit on it of five-thousand a day. Do your best not to exceed it or the company's going to shut it off. If you do decide to come back to Konoha early, let me know."

Karin nodded again as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"See you in two months." Sasuke left. He checked his watch. The flight back to Konoha would take close to four hours, and though he was used to long flight, he felt like this one in particular would take an eternity.

He wanted to see Sakura.

She wanted to see Sasuke.

The thought kept running through her head throughout the day. Initially, when Sasuke had invited her to his place for dinner, she thought it wouldn't be the best idea, but now that's all she wanted to do. Seeing her father had taken more out of her than she thought, and all she wanted to do now was distract herself from any and every thought she had of her father.

Her classes felt too long, and the ride home felt too long. When she made it home, she tried to take a nap, but the anticipation kept her awake. Just as she was beginning to feel like the time wouldn't come, her phone buzzed.

She scrambled for it, her phone had ended up tangled up in her blanket from her constant tossing and turning. She eventually found it and answers, "Hello?"

"Hey." Sasuke was on the other end, and the sound of his voice seemed to ease Sakura's nerves immediately, "I just landed. I should be at the apartment in about thirty to forty-five minutes. If you get there before me, just ring the doorbell, and I can unlock the door from my phone."

"Are you sure, I can wait until you get there," Sakura said politely though every part of her wanted to bolt out the door.

"It's fine," Sasuke assured her. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Sakura smiled a bit and nodded, "Okay."

After they each hung up, they both felt their hearts suddenly beat a little faster. Sakura showered and scrubbed a little harder than usual before changing into a casual outfit of skinny jeans, a t-shirt, and the nicest hoodie she could find.

Meanwhile, Sasuke picked up his car from his family's private garage at the airport and drove himself home. While the speed limit on the freeway read seventy, Sasuke drove at a solid one hundred to one hundred and ten. He weaved in and out of Konoha's steady traffic with ease as he sped towards his apartment, where he hoped Sakura would be waiting.

Though Sakura made it a point to avoid Konoha's taxi service, she settled on it this time. It would've taken close to two hours for Sakura to get to Sasuke's end of town by train, but if she went via taxi, it would only be thirty minutes.

As Sasuke pulled up in front of his apartment building, he climbed out and popped the trunk. The apartment's valet hurried over and took Sasuke's keys while Sasuke removed his duffle bag and shut the trunk. He headed inside and went straight to the front desk.

"Welcome back, Uchiha-san," the doorman greeted him politely. He turned to the wall of mailboxes behind him and unlocked Sasuke's. He produced a small stack of letters and other mail from the black steel box and handed it over. "How was your trip?"

"Eh," Sasuke answered as he flipped through his mail. "Any messages?"

"None, sir," the doorman answered.

Sasuke was relieved to hear that.

"Um, ma'am," the doorman called, "this way, please?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw Sakura standing awkwardly at the front entrance. He smiled a bit, "Hey."

"Hi." Sakura smiled a bit as well.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Last Time:**

"_**Welcome back, Uchiha-san," the doorman greeted him politely. He turned to the wall of mailboxes behind him and unlocked Sasuke's. He produced a small stack of letters and other mail from the black steel box and handed it over. "How was your trip?"**_

"_**Eh," Sasuke answered as he flipped through his mail. "Any messages?"**_

"_**None, sir," the doorman answered. **_

_**Sasuke was relieved to hear that. **_

"_**Um, ma'am," the doorman called, "this way, please?"**_

_**Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw Sakura standing awkwardly at the front entrance. He smiled a bit, "Hey."**_

"_**Hi." Sakura smiled a bit as well. **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 8 – **

"Oh, I wasn't aware that you were expecting a guest today, Uchiha-san," the doorman said in an almost apologetic tone.

"It's all right," Sasuke assured him. He tapped the desk before walking towards Sakura, "Perfect timing."

"I guess so," Sakura agreed.

Sasuke gestured towards the elevator, and together they climbed on. Sasuke scanned his resident ID and entered in a seven-digit passcode on a keypad that appeared. Once the passcode was in and the keypad flashed green, the keypad was covered up once more by the elevator's wall, and Sakura couldn't help but be amazed.

"Am I allowed to say that your pretentiousness is showing?" Sakura teased.

Sasuke chuckled, "Sure."

"It's showing," Sakura sang, and both she and Sasuke chuckled.

As the elevator ascended, Sakura suddenly wondered what floor he was on. When she double-checked the text message he had sent her, all she saw was the address and seven digits. She blinked a few times, and that's when it hit her. But she didn't have time to raise questions as the elevator doors opened and revealed his penthouse apartment.

Sasuke allowed Sakura to walk in ahead of him, and he kept his distance as Sakura took in the apartment. It was an impressive space with an open floorplan on the first floor, and Sakura could see a set of steps leading up to the second floor. There was exposed brick that was an array of blacks, greys, and ash whites that paired well with the aged wood accents.

Even though the colors inside were an even pallet of blacks and greys with the occasional white emphasis, it wasn't cold. If anything, it seemed cozy.

"Make yourself comfortable," Sasuke finally said.

"Huh? Oh." Sakura looked around.

Sasuke chuckled, "You can leave your shoes over here. You can settle in on the couch. The remote for the TV should be on the coffee table. If you want, though, you can roam around a bit. It's a six-bedroom, so there's plenty to see."

"Six?" Sakura repeated. "Why so many rooms?"

Sasuke shrugged. He headed up the stairs and left Sakura on her own. With Sasuke gone, Sakura took him up on his offer and began to explore. As she headed down one hallway, she saw that several shelves were lined to the brim with books. She glanced a several of the spines and recognized the titles and authors of classical literature. She'd read a few of them herself, and even remembered owning a copy of a few.

She stumbled across one door, and as she opened it, she saw his office. It was as neat as Sakura expected it to be. There was a bookcase that lined one wall, and this bookcase was filled with a collection of old historian pieces about Konoha. Among them were a few books on the Uchiha Family itself. At his desk, Sakura admired the dual monitor setup.

They sat atop an L-shaped desk, and the tall-back leather chair sitting at it appeared gently worn. Sakura carefully took a seat in it and saw a picture sitting on his desk of him and his elder brother. They both seemed to be dressed casually, and from what Sakura could tell, they both looked a few years younger than they are now. Nearby, hanging up on the wall, Sakura saw a family portrait that appeared poised and collected.

From what Sakura could tell, Sasuke seemed to be at least a teenager in the photo. A few other pictures were hanging up along the wall showing Sasuke with various family members through the years, and there were even a few photos of Sasuke standing alongside Naruto.

She wandered out of Sasuke's home office and continued to explore. She came across a guest bedroom with an attached bath, a reading room, and an impressive game room on the first floor. She headed upstairs and saw one of the doors was already opened.

She took a quick peek inside and saw the massive California King bed in the room, and soon heard running water. She quickly deduced that it was Sasuke's room, and she quickly stepped away. She headed down the hall and found the last "bedroom." She opened the door and turned on the light.

In this room, there seemed to be an endless array of canvases, both covered and blank. There was a set of tables along one wall that held a massive variety of paints and brushes, each of various finishes and sizes. There were three easels in the room, and each one held an unfinished painting. There were several stools in the room, and each one was covered in paint drippings and smeared paint.

Mesmerized, Sakura began to look through the canvases she could find with finished works. Each was hauntingly beautiful in their own way, and Sakura couldn't help but stare for a while. She stared so long that she hadn't even noticed that Sasuke was standing in the doorway.

"Well?" Sasuke snapped Sakura out of her trance. "What do you think?"

"Did you paint these?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke nodded a bit, "Yeah." He wore a pair of jeans and a simple black t-shirt. He still had a towel on his head, and Sakura could see a few drops of water coming off his chin.

"They're beautiful," Sakura said. "I mean, I'm not an art expert or anything, trust me, but I really like these."

"Really?" Sasuke seemed to light up a little.

Sakura nodded, "They're amazing."

Sasuke let out a nervous chuckle as he scratched his cheek, "You're actually the fourth person to compliment my painting."

"Only the fourth?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke nodded. "My family," Sasuke sighed, "my family has had it set for me that I do my part to ensure Uchiha Enterprise continues to thrive. I can't do that if I'm painting, so they tried to kill that pretty early on, but my big brother, Itachi, he wouldn't let them. He used to use his allowance back then to buy me supplies, and he would sneak them over to our great-grandfather's house where I would go and paint for hours."

"Your great-grandfather?" Sakura asked.

"Mm," Sasuke nodded. "Uchiha Madara. All of my cousins were terrified of him, but for some reason, I never was. Don't get me wrong, he _looks _utterly terrifying, but he's actually pretty soft. I would go over and visit him all the time after our great grandmother died, and that's actually when I saw her art studio. Madara said I could use it whenever I wanted, and that's what really got me into painting.

"Madara would sit in there with me for _hours _telling me all kinds of stories, both real and made-up. Then one day, he actually stopped and took a look at the paintings I had done at that time and said, 'Don't let those old Uchiha standards kill this.' So, I didn't."

Sakura smiled, "I like your great-grandfather."

Sasuke chuckled, "Yeah, me too." Sasuke sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "I haven't seen him much lately, though."

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"He's fragile now," Sasuke answered. "He caught a terrible cold a few summers ago, and he never fully recovered. He's in hospice care now, and only so many people can visit him. I try and go when I can, but that's only about once a month at this point."

"Oh."

"Don't look so sad," Sasuke asked. "From what I've heard, he's still as spritely as ever despite being as fragile as he is now."

Sakura giggled a bit, "Is that so?"

Sasuke nodded.

"So, Madara was the first to compliment your paintings," Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded, "Madara was the first. Itachi was the second. Naruto was the third. Now you're the fourth."

"I'm honored," Sakura told him.

"Come on," Sasuke nodded his head towards the door, "I promised you a meal. I intend to deliver."

Sakura complied and headed out of Sasuke's art studio. Together, they headed downstairs, and Sakura settled in at the kitchen island while Sasuke put on an apron.

"You wear an apron?" Sakura asked.

"You would too if you knew how much these clothes cost," Sasuke responded.

"Pretentious," Sakura whined.

Sasuke chuckled, "Yeah, yeah."

While Sasuke began to make his way around the kitchen, Sakura sat back and watched. He was surprisingly efficient with a knife and chopped away with no trouble at all. For some reason, Sakura half-expected him to be clumsy in the kitchen. To be quite honest, she expected him to not even know his way around his own kitchen. Still, he found everything with ease and maneuvered naturally in the space.

"So, what were you off doing?" Sakura asked.

"Hm?" Sasuke wiped excess bits off the knife he was using and dumped the chopped onions into a heated pan. "Ah, it was a work-related thing. Just a bunch of boring meetings with monotonous individuals."

Sakura smiled a bit, "For some reason, I would think you'd enjoy the monotonous meetings."

Sasuke chuckled, "Not particularly. Sure, working in the corporate world has its benefits, but it has its faults too. Luckily, my life outside of work is acceptable enough that it keeps me from dreading my job."

"Well, I suppose that's good," Sakura said.

"More or less," Sasuke said. "So, how were the last couple of days for you?"

"They've been pretty great, actually," Sakura admitted. "I got the Uchiha Enterprise Grant."

"Seriously?" Sasuke stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "Ah, I wish you would've said something sooner. I would've taken you out to dinner to celebrate instead of cooking."

Sakura giggled, "I appreciate the thought, but I'm actually looking forward to tasting your cooking."

"You say that now," Sasuke muttered with a shrug, and Sakura couldn't help but laugh a little. "But, besides that. Congratulations. I'm glad it's going to someone deserving of it and is looking to make a serious impact on Konoha."

Sakura blushed a little and scratched her cheek, "I wouldn't say a _serious_ impact."

Sasuke chuckled, "Nevertheless, you've earned it. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you." Sakura beamed.

"So, that means you're going to the Recipient's Banquet in a little over a week?" Sasuke asked, and he saw Sakura nod. "Good. I'm not sure if I'll be there myself. Typically, Uchiha Enterprise likes to send one representative of the company to make a good impression. My brother usually always handles it."

"Is that so?" Sakura mumbled.

Sasuke shrugged, "Sometimes more than one person from Uchiha Enterprise goes, but that usually depends on the roster of recipients. If some representatives are going into the technical and engineering field, we'll send scouts to try and recruit them into the internship program that usually always leads to a job. As for the rest, I guess it depends on independent interest."

"Independent interest?"

"Yeah. A lot of people at Uchiha Enterprise have interests outside of the company, so they're usually always looking for ways to invest," Sasuke explained. "Now, whether that be a financial investment or something else, that varies from person to person."

For a while, Sasuke and Sakura carried on their conversation. Sakura listened to Sasuke as he talked about Uchiha Enterprise, and Sasuke listened as Sakura talked about Konoha University. Sakura admitted to being bored the last few days since she'd been unable to work at the convenience store, and the expression on Sasuke's face made her feel as though she was being judged.

Sasuke admitted to judging her, then proceeded to lecture her on having some semblance of a social life. Sakura argued the importance of studying, but Sasuke stood firm with his stance. They settled on agreeing to disagree. All while they talked, Sasuke cooked.

By the time he finished, there was a heavenly aroma that filled the apartment. Sakura tried her best not to drool, but she felt the day's hunger crash in on her all at once. She hadn't eaten, and she hadn't realized that until a moment ago.

Together, they ate, and Sakura felt like she was in Heaven with every bite. She was sure a significant part of that feeling was because she was starving, but she didn't let Sasuke know that. As they ate, they sipped on white that Sasuke had chilling in the wine fridge built into his kitchen island, and they continued to talk.

For them, there wasn't a pause in the conversation. No matter the time, no matter how mundane or incredulous it was, Sasuke and Sakura were able to keep talking. For Sasuke, he enjoyed it. He was used to the same conversations happening day in and day out. He knew many of them were disingenuous, but he always played his part and entertained it.

As for Sakura, she was just glad she had someone to talk to. And it wasn't as if she had loads of things that she needed to let loose, she just liked talking. It was comforting to have conversations that weren't triggered by a transaction.

Well after the food had been eaten, dishes have been washed, and a bottle of wine had been polished, they continued talking.

"Okay, so, what I'm failing to understand, I guess, is that you don't like _any _kind of sweets?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke chuckled and rolled his eyes before taking a sip of his wine. He wasn't sure what glass he was on, "Nope. Can't stand them. And to further prove my point, my favorite 'candy' is cocoa. Preferably one hundred percent cocoa if I can find it, but nothing less than eighty-five."

"You're a monster."

Sasuke laughed, "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"Not even a little. How do you not like sweets? _Everyone _likes sweets," Sakura whined.

Sasuke shook his head, "Nope. Next question."

Sakura grumbled something as she sipped on her wine. Her head was beginning to feel fuzzy, "How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Serious girlfriends or women I've dated?" Sasuke asked.

"Both."

"One serious girlfriend and I've dated a lot of women," Sasuke answered.

"Was the serious girlfriend, Karin?" Sakura asked, and then she immediately regretted it.

The air in the room seemed to shift a bit at the mention of Karin's name. Sasuke seemed to deflate a bit, and he stared at the contents of his wine glass. He swirled them around a bit before looking at Sakura, "Once upon a time, yes, it was Karin. We dated for a bit back in our first year of high school. Things were good for a bit, I was happy, and I felt like she was happy, but then I caught her cheating on me with a friend of mine. After I caught her cheating, I broke up with her, and I haven't had a serious girlfriend since."

"I suppose the two of you reconciled then. Since you're married and all?"

Sasuke scoffed, "Not really, no. I hadn't spoken to Karin in years, to be quite honest with you. She'd somehow managed to convince Uncle Minato and my parents that there needed to be a matrimonial tie between Uchiha Enterprise and Uzumaki Industries. I flat out disagreed since I didn't feel it was necessary.

"I mean, Naruto and I have collaborated together on several projects since we've joined our family's companies, and the bond between Uchiha Enterprise and Uzumaki Industries has never been stronger," Sasuke explained. "But things turned out to be the way they are now, and I am married to a woman who I have no feelings for."

"Mm, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Sasuke assured her. "No need in you saying sorry when you had nothing to do with the situation."

"Do you think you could ever forgive Karin for cheating?"

"Forgiving her wasn't the problem," Sasuke admitted. "I forgave her a long time ago. It's trusting her that I have a problem with. She's always been… sneaky, I guess. I don't know, a lot of what Karin does just doesn't sit right with me now that I'm not looking at her with rose-tinted glasses."

"You know," Sakura put her wine glass down, "they say that when you're wearing rose-tinted glasses in the beginning, all the red flags you're supposed to notice just look like flags."

Sasuke let out a half-hearted chuckle, "It's true."

"I don't see any flags with you, though," Sakura told him with a warm smile.

"Oh? Have you been looking at me with rose-tinted glasses?" Sasuke teased.

Sakura blushed a little and looked away, "Not really."

Sasuke chuckled, "Don't get shy on me now, Haruno.

"I'm the furthest thing from shy," Sakura argued.

Sasuke smiled, "I don't doubt that."

He watched as she downed the rest of her wine and seemed to admire the class for a moment. As Sasuke watched her, he admired her medium-length pink hair that fell a little ways past her shoulders, and the way she had it tucked behind her ear. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her emerald green eyes seemed to shimmer in the low light.

He wasn't sure what motivated him, but before Sasuke realized it, his hand was on the side of Sakura's face, and his lips were on hers. He wasn't sure if it was the wine that encouraged him or the fact that he was comfortable, but no part of what he was doing felt wrong.

As for Sakura, every moral part of her told her to pull away from him. However, every other part of her – especially the wine – told her otherwise. So, she listened to the part she wanted to listen to. She kissed him back.

Their kiss started out simple, like those kinds of kisses you do as a teenager before you learn how to use your tongue. It wasn't necessarily clumsy, but it wasn't perfect either. But it was good. _Really _good. Then it got better.

Their not-so-innocent kissed deepened, and Sasuke's tongue brushed against Sakura's lip. Silently complying with his request, Sakura opened her mouth ever so slightly and allowed her tongue to meet his. As their tongues met, and Sasuke's body drew closer to hers, Sakura felt an intense burning begin inside of her. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or Sasuke, but she squirmed because of it.

Sasuke wanted every part of her, and that wasn't the wine inspiring him. He'd decided a while ago that he wanted her, he just hadn't expected to actually get her. He was a mixture of elation and relief at this moment as Sakura indulged in their kiss with him. The feeling of Sakura's arms wrapping around his neck and feeling her fingers slide through his hair sent a welcoming chill down his spine.

He pulled Sakura into his lap and slid his hands to her waist. Her shirt had ridden up a little, so his fingers touched her skin. It was soft to the touch, smoother than he had imagined, and he wanted to feel more. As they continued to make out, Sasuke slid his hands up her back. His fingers met the clasp of her bra, and without so much as taking a moment to ask, he unhooked it.

As Sasuke's hands took their time gliding across Sakura's body, she couldn't help but let out a gentle and pleasure-filled moan into their kiss. The sound of it did something to Sasuke that caused his briefs to feel just a little bit tighter. He needed to hear more of it.

Sakura needed more of Sasuke's touch. She hadn't even flinched when Sasuke undid her bra. With the help of the wine, Sakura pulled away from Sasuke and pulled her shirt over her head. She slipped her bra off her shoulders, and as soon as it was gone, Sasuke slid his hands up her torso to her breasts. Sakura let out a small moan as Sasuke seemed to carefully fondle her.

Sasuke took his time. Sakura's breasts fit almost perfectly in his hands, and he gently kneaded them. He enjoyed the look on Sakura's face, and he wanted to see more of it. He wanted to hear more of her. So, he began to gently kiss her neck. He occasionally lapped his tongue against her skin as he moved down from her neck to her chest.

His mouth eventually made it down to one of her breasts, and he licked, sucked, and nibbled. Sakura let out several moans as Sasuke focused on her breasts, and Sasuke enjoyed each one. Wanting to touch more of her, the hand Sasuke kept planted on her hip slid into the back of her jeans. From there, he carefully rubbed his fingers against her panties, and that's when he felt that they were damp.

As for Sakura, she had been feeling the growing lump between Sasuke's legs for a few moments now. It rubbed against her relentlessly, and with that and Sasuke's teasing, Sakura's head was swimming. She thought to herself that she didn't want to be the only one to feel good, so she tugged on Sasuke's shirt.

Sasuke removed his own shirt and revealed to Sakura his well-defined upper body. He wasn't absurdly muscular but fit. His skin was pale, but Sakura enjoyed the sight of it. She put her hand against his chest, and that's when she felt the rapid beating of his heart.

"There's no turning back now, is there?" Sakura asked.

"No. No, I don't think so," Sasuke agreed.

Sakura smiled a bit, "We could stop now. Save ourselves from making a mistake."

"And what if I don't feel like this is a mistake?" Sasuke asked.

After that, it wasn't long before the rest of their clothes were gone, and they erased every line that they shouldn't have crossed. The innocent curiosity that defined their first kisses and touches was now gone, and there was only passion and desire.

Sasuke let out a loan groan in the back of his throat as he felt Sakura's hands wrap around his pulsating erection. The feeling of Sakura's soft and warm hands sliding across the painfully sensitive skin did something to Sasuke he didn't think was possible.

He broke their kiss, and the sight of Sakura's flushed face made him want to see more. Her chest rose and fell ever so slightly as she tried to catch her breath, and her erect nipples stood tall.

"I can't wait," Sasuke told her through shallow breaths.

"I can't either," Sakura whined. She adjusted her hips slightly, and Sasuke could feel Sakura adjust him until he felt the tip of his erection against her.

He couldn't think of anything else. Slowly, he pushed inside of her, and the feeling of Sakura's insides wrapping around him almost put him over the edge. He savored every moment as he slowly pulled out and pushed back inside of her. Sakura bit her lip as she reached above her head and grabbed onto the edge of the couch cushion.

"Let me hear you," Sasuke requested. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, "Let me hear everything."

"Only if you give me everything," Sakura said as she placed a hand on Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke smirked, "I'll give you everything and more." He pressed his lips against hers, and Sasuke stopped with his slow and steady strokes.

He hooked his arms behind Sakura's legs and felt himself dive deeper into her. Sakura moaned loudly into the kiss as she gripped a fistful of Sasuke's hair and dug her nails into his back. Sasuke could feel Sakura getting wetter and wetter with each stroke and felt her tightening around him.

Sakura broke their kiss and cried out as her body reached its climax. Sasuke gritted his teeth and let out a low groan as Sakura clenched around him. Sakura bit her lip as she laid her head back on the couch, and Sasuke chuckled at the elated Sakura.

"Don't tell me you're done already, Haruno?" Sasuke teased.

Sakura giggled as she sat up and sat in Sasuke's lap, "I'm far from done with you, Uchiha."

"Good," Sasuke licked her lip, "because I'm far from being done with you too."

They stay entangled with one another for hours. They went from the couch to the floor to the stairs. Almost every inch of that penthouse was touched by the two of them, and despite the heavy sweat and their pounding hearts, they didn't stop. They didn't want to.

They'd made it to the bedroom, and sunlight was beginning to pour into the room as Sasuke and Sakura lay tangled up in his sheets. He gently brushed his fingers against her back, and she kept her head nestled against his chest.

Suddenly, before Sakura was asleep herself, she felt Sasuke's fingers stop. She looked up at him, and he looked comfortable. She was able to lay down, but then she saw Sasuke's phone light up. When she saw the name, her heart dropped.

Karin.

Sasuke's wife was calling. All the morality within Sakura that she had ignored all night suddenly hit her all at once. The realization that she'd spent the night entangled with a married man, helping him break all of his marriage vows, crashed in on her. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

She carefully climbed out of his bed and snuck downstairs. She got dressed, grabbed her bag, and left Sasuke's penthouse without a word.

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Thank you for all of the incredibly kind reviews! It means a lot, and it definitely motivates me to keep working hard on this story. I do apologize, however, for the delay in posts. The last few weeks have been hectic, but I'm hopeful that things go back to being calm, and I can balance my time better. In the meantime, please enjoy!

**Last Time: **

_** Suddenly, before Sakura was asleep herself, she felt Sasuke's fingers stop. She looked up at him, and he looked comfortable. She was able to lay down, but then she saw Sasuke's phone light up. When she saw the name, her heart dropped. **_

_** Karin. **_

_** Sasuke's wife was calling. All the morality within Sakura that she had ignored all night suddenly hit her all at once. The realization that she'd spent the night entangled with a married man, helping him break all of his marriage vows, crashed in on her. She felt like she couldn't breathe. **_

_** She carefully climbed out of his bed and snuck downstairs. She got dressed, grabbed her bag, and left Sasuke's penthouse without a word.**_

**Infidelity: Chapter 9 – The Moment She Saw You**

__When Sasuke woke up that morning and saw Sakura was gone, he felt his heart sink. A part of him knew that Sakura would run off in the middle of the night, but another part of him had been hopeful. He wanted to wake up and see her sleeping beside him. He'd only imagined a peaceful Sakura, and the idea of actually seeing it left a warm feeling in him, unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

He let out a heavy sigh and picked up his phone. He saw Karin had called, and that was enough to tell him why Sakura had left. Instead of calling Karin, though, he tried to call Sakura. It rang. Then rang again, and again, and again. Then it went to voicemail.

"Sakura," Sasuke sighed, "can you call me back as soon as you get this, please? Just let me know you're okay."

He hung up and rang his fingers through his hair. Then he thought of the only person he could call and trust. The phone only rang twice before they answered, "Hey. It's not too early, is it?"

"Not at all," Naruto answered. "I was just finishing up my workout, what's up?"

"Can we meet for breakfast? My treat," Sasuke suggested.

"Sure," Naruto agreed. "Meet at the usual place in an hour?"

"Yeah." Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his face, "If you get there before me, get the private suite. I don't want anybody eavesdropping on our conversation."

"Oh? Are you at the penthouse?"

"I am."

"Look, I'll just pick up breakfast on my way over to you," Naruto told him. "I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Didn't you just say an hour?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, but that was before I realized it was an emergency," Naruto said. "See you in thirty."

Sasuke let out a half-hearted chuckle, "Yeah. See you soon." Sasuke hung up and tossed his phone onto the nightstand.

Across town, Sakura sat awkwardly on her own in the middle of a crowded dining room. She was sitting amongst Konoha's elites, and she recognized many of them from when she catered Sasuke's and Karin's wedding. Many of them didn't acknowledge her, but some gave her sideways glances.

She had half a mind to leave, but then she saw who she was waiting for approach the table, "Auntie Kushina."

"I am so sorry I'm late," Kushina apologized as she wrapped Sakura up in a tight hug. "We're in the middle of this massive project at work, and there were some logistical things they needed my help with."

"It's no problem," Sakura assured her as she returned the hug. "It's good to see you."

"You too." Kushina took a seat and waved at a few people at the nearby tables. She pulled some of her hair behind her ear and gave a warm smile to Sakura, "So, any good news?"

Sakura giggled, "I think you already know what the good news is, but I'll give you the satisfaction of hearing it from me anyway. I got the news from Lady Mikoto that I'll be a recipient of the Uchiha Enterprise Grant. Now all I need to do is get accepted into Konoha City University's medical program, and I'll be all good to go."

"Ah, about that," Kushina reached into her purse and pulled out a letter, "I have something for you."

Sakura wore a confused expression as she took the letter from her. On the letterhead, she saw the Konoha City University School of Medicine letterhead in the top left corner. She felt goosebumps erupt across her skin, and she quickly tore open the letter.

"'Dear Ms. Haruno Sakura, I am pleased to write this letter to you personally as the Dean of Medicine and welcome you into our program,'" Sakura read the letter aloud, and tears threatened her eyes. She looked at Kushina and shook her head, "H-How?"

"She spoke with all of your instructors from your preliminary programs, and they had nothing but high praises to say about you," Kushina confessed. "She had actually already viewed your application. She was intending on contacting you just before Minato and I reached out to her to get you an interview. She had an eye on you already, Sakura."

"So, I'm going to medical school," Sakura muttered.

"You are going to the best medical school in all of Fire Country," Kushina assured her. "Of course, Lady Tsunade would love to speak to you, but your place in the School of Medicine is set."

Sakura smiled, "Thank you, Auntie Kushina. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"You don't have to repay me for anything, Sakura-chan," Kushina assured her. "You've always been a phenomenal young lady, so all of this was your doing. All we really had to do was nudge people to look at you. I am immensely proud of you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura started crying, and she tried to wipe away her tears as they fell, "Thank you, Auntie. Thank you."

Kushina smiled. She picked up a napkin and wiped her cheek, "After we have breakfast, I want to take you to my favorite boutique to get you a dress for the Uchiha Enterprise Grant Banquet. And then as a congratulations for getting into medical school, I'll buy you whatever you want."

"That's too generous, Auntie Kushina," Sakura whined.

"It's menial, Sakura-chan," Kushina assured her. "You more than deserve it."

Sakura smiled a bit, "Thank you."

"Thank you." Sasuke let out a heavy sigh as he sat down at his kitchen island and started unpacking the breakfast Naruto had brought for the two of them. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing," Naruto responded. "So, what's going on?"

Sasuke hesitated for a moment as he picked up a pair of wooden chopsticks and broke them apart, "It's… complicated."

"Talk," Naruto poured himself a cup of coffee.

Sasuke waited until the coffee pot was down before he said, "I slept with Sakura last night."

Naruto added a generous amount of sugar and cream to his coffee before stirring it together. He didn't say a word. He didn't even look at Sasuke. That's when Sasuke knew that he was about to get an earful from him.

But instead, he let out a heavy sigh.

"What are you going to do about Karin?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke blinked a few times, "What?"

Naruto sat down and took a sip of his coffee, "You can't have a wife and a girlfriend. I mean, you could, people in our circle do it all the time. But, as Sakura's guardian, I'm not _letting _you have a wife and a girlfriend. Especially since the wife is my cousin, and I see Sakura like a sister."

"Naruto."

"Do you remember what you told me when I told you I was hesitant about whether or not I should ask Hinata out?" Naruto asked. "And I told you I was unsure about whether Hinata had feelings for me or not?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah. I told you that the way you look at Hinata is the way your father looks at your mother every time he sees her. And it's the same way my father looks at my mother every time he sees her, and that's a kind of love that only comes once in a lifetime. I said that you'd be a fool for not going after the love of your life."

"Sasuke," Naruto leaned against the counter, "The way that you look at Sakura is the way your father looks at your mother every time he sees her. And it's the same way my father looks at my mother every time he sees her, and that's a kind of love that only comes once in a lifetime. You'd be a fool for not going after the love of your life."

Sasuke shook his head, "I don't understand."

"For someone who's supposed to be so incredibly smart, you're incredibly stupid sometimes," Naruto countered. "You may not have fallen in love with Sakura the moment you two met in that convenience store, but I can tell you fell in love with her the moment she 'saw' you."

Sasuke pursed his lips together.

"The minute she told you to choose what would make you happy instead of continuing to make your parents happy, you fell for her. And you fell for her because, for the first time in twenty-four years, a woman saw you as more than 'Uchiha Sasuke, eligible bachelor.' All she saw was Uchiha Sasuke, a human being. Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Naruto asked.

"It's not like I can just walk up to Sakura and say, 'I love you,'" Sasuke groaned. "She's been skeptical about this situation ever since we both felt there was something more here than friendship. Sakura's different than any other woman I've ever laid eyes on, and this isn't going to be simple."

"Do you remember who you're talking to?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I confessed to Hinata in front of her entire family, both Hyuuga and Outsutsuki, at her fiancé's birthday party that I wasn't invited to."

"Yeah, Toneri's still mad about that," Sasuke said with a light chuckle.

Naruto snickered, "I bet. I still got my invite to the White Party, though, and I will be happily showing up with _my _fiancée."

"What am I supposed to do about Karin?" Sasuke asked. "My parents aren't going to approve an annulment or a divorce, and it's not like I'm not without eyes on me every time I step outside my home."

"I don't know what to tell you about what to do about your parents or even Karin, but if Sakura is who you truly want, then you'll find a way," Naruto advised. "At least I can warn you now that it's not going to be an easy road. Especially with Sakura, because she will put her goals above anything else, and the minute she feels those goals are jeopardized, she'll drop whatever she needs to drop to achieve those goals. She's dangerously driven."

"I don't want to jeopardize anything for her," Sasuke assured Naruto. "But being with me may jeopardize everything for her."

Naruto shrugged, "I can't deny that."

"You could deny it a little," Sasuke groaned.

"Impossible." Naruto took another sip of his coffee. "Realistically speaking, there will be a controversy if the two of you get together. Well, not if, but _when_. You're the son and heir apparent to a multi-billion-dollar tech company. As for Sakura, her background is less than savory, and that's not her fault. However, the tabloids would paint her in a bad light regardless of that fact."

"Unsavory?" Sasuke repeated.

"Look, it's not my place to give you all the details, but Sakura has had it rough," Naruto explained. "But despite those hardships, Sakura has the toughest skin on anybody I've had the pleasure of knowing. Don't tell her I said this, but she's someone I admire and look up to. But with that being said, I also look at her like she's the little sister I never had."

"I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her," Sasuke assured him.

Naruto shook his head, "It's not about that."

"What is it about then?"

"You may not ever do anything directly to hurt her, but your presence can negatively affect her indirectly," Naruto explained. "Once again, you need to understand that you two come from very different worlds. You're in the limelight without even trying, and Sakura, to put it plainly, it's a bystander. You're in the magazines, and she reads those magazines."

Naruto folded his arms, "Think of it this way: as of right now, Sakura is your mistress. It's not the mistresses who are exalted in the press when they're discovered, they're chastised. The _wives _are exalted. You could destroy Sakura's whole future if you're not careful."

Sasuke suddenly felt his heart sink.

"I'll do this," Naruto sighed, "I'll set you up with a room at Obsidian that's on my card. I'll give you employee access to the service elevator. As for what you can do about your doorman, that's on you."

"He won't talk," Sasuke assured him.

"Do something about him," Naruto urged with a stern smile. "Speaking as Sakura's 'elder brother,' if you do anything to hurt her or jeopardize her future, I'll come for you with the wrath of Lord Hagoromo, Lord Hamura, Mother Kaguya, _and _all Nine Divine Beasts all at once. Do I make myself clear?"

Sasuke nodded, "Y-yeah."

"Great," Naruto flashed his trademark grin, "let's eat. I'm starving."

While they ate, all Sasuke could think about was Sakura.

While they shopped, all Sakura could think about was Sasuke.

"So," Kushina took a seat down on a plush couch in an excessively large fitting room, "how have you been? We haven't heard much from your mother since she decided to stop working for us."

"I've been good," Sakura said, though she didn't necessarily believe herself. "Mama got remarried."

"She did?" Kushina perked up. "That's wonderful. Who's the lucky gentleman?"

"Kaguya Keisuke," Sakura answered.

Kushina blinked a few times.

Sakura chuckled, "Yeah."

"Well," Kushina raised her champagne glass, "congratulations to Mebuki, she deserves nothing but happiness."

"I really do appreciate you buying these things for me, Auntie Kushina," Sakura told her as she admired herself in a dress that cost more than her apartment. "I can't remember the last time I bought something that wasn't second hand."

Kushina smiled a bit, "As I said before, you deserve it. You're one of the hardest working people I know, and you deserve every benefit that comes from it."

"Say, Auntie Kushina?" Sakura looked at her. "Will you and Uncle Minato come as my guests to the banquet?"

"Of course!" Kushina exclaimed. "And even if you hadn't invited us, we'd be there with bells and whistles on. We just got you back into our lives, and we're not going to let you slip through our fingers again."

Sakura giggled, "I'm glad. I missed you too."

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Last Time:**

_**Sakura was crying now, "Thank you so much."**_

"_**You're welcome, dear," Mikoto replied. "You should be receiving an email shortly that'll contain your acceptance letter. All you'll need to do is click on the embedded link and accept the grant. Also, this email will be the invitation to the banquet we hold every year for the grant recipients. It'll happen next Saturday, so you have some time to find a dress if you don't already have one." **_

_** Sakura thought for a moment of the dresses she had in her closet, and none of them were appropriate for a banquet of any kind, "I may need to find myself a dress." **_

_** "I'm sure you won't have any trouble," Mikoto replied. "Kushina's already agreed to help you with your dress, and I'm sure she would've demanded you wear something she'd made."**_

**Infidelity: Chapter 10 – You're Who I Want**

Sakura was a mixture of emotions the night of the Uchiha Enterprise Grant Recipients' Banquet. She was beyond thrilled at the opportunity she'd been given, but for the last several days, all she could seem to think about was Sasuke.

Admittedly, a part of her regretted having slept with Sasuke in the first place. Her morally sound side always reminded her that he was – though not happily – a married man. However, another part of her, a part she didn't even think existed until recently, regretted leaving Sasuke on his own that morning.

Though it had been days, she could still feel his fingers gently grazing the length of her spine just before he had fallen asleep. She could still feel his lips against her skin, and she could again feel his weight on top of her.

"Sakura-chan," Mebuki called quietly before opening Sakura's bedroom door.

She stopped and gasped at the sight of Sakura in her simple black dress that draped gently against the floor. The back of her dress was cut low and stopped just above the small of her back. There was a daring slit on the right side that exposed her leg, and the front dipped just enough to reveal the bit of cleavage she did have. On the top of her ear was a simple silver cuff that matched the dangling earrings she wore around her neck, a sterling silver necklace that nestled against her skin, and a matching cuff bracelet around her left wrist. She wore simple black heels that raised her five inches off the ground and made her stand straighter than usual.

"Is it too much?" Sakura asked as she looked at the full-length mirror. She'd gone to her mother's house to get dressed, and she stood in the room that Mebuki and Keisuke insisted on keeping set up for her. She had no intention of moving back in with her mother, but she couldn't deny that it was a beautiful room. A room much more cozier than where she was now. But her mother didn't need to know that.

"It's just enough," Mebuki assured her as she stood beside Sakura. "You look a lot like me when I was your age."

Sakura smiled a bit, "Do I?"

"Most definitely." Mebuki hugged Sakura from behind and nestled her chin on her shoulder, "I guess you're my daughter after all, huh?"

Sakura giggled, "Okaa-chan."

"Mebuki-chan," Keisuke called from downstairs, "the limo's arrived. We should get going. We don't want to be late."

"Coming," Mebuki called back. She let go of Sakura and pulled a few strands of Sakura's hair behind her ear, "Perfect. Not only are you getting that Uchiha Enterprise Grant, but there is no doubt in my mind that you'll be snagging a husband tonight too."

Sakura blushed a little, "Okaa-chan. You know I don't care about that kind of stuff. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen."

"You may not care that much about it, but I do," Mebuki told her as she waved her finger in her face. "No absolutely stunning daughter of mine is going to go unmarried. You're going to become the doctor you've always dreamed of becoming, and then you're going to marry the man of your dreams."

"I don't have anyone in particular in mind," Sakura countered.

"And that, my love," Mebuki tapped her nose, "just shows that Lord Hagoromo will drop him into your lap when you least expect it. Or, Lord Hagoromo will drop you in his lap. They say the time when you find love is when you're not even thinking about it."

Sakura opened her mouth to counter, but then she remembered her chance encounter with Sasuke. Then she remembered that chance encounter happened at Sasuke's wedding. She shook the thought from her heard, and Mebuki noticed.

"What was that?" Mebuki eyed her daughter.

"Mebuki-san, Sakura-chan," Kimimaro called. "We need to get going. The Uchihas actually start on time, unlike the rest of us."

"It looks like everything is right on time," Mikoto hummed as she checked her watch.

This year, just like every year, the Uchiha Enterprise Grant Recipients' Banquet was being held at the Paradise Hotel and Resort that sat just in the center of the upper north side of Konoha. It was the crown jewel amongst the Uzumaki Industry hospitality prosperities, and there was rarely a day where a room was vacant.

"How is everything?"

Mikoto turned around to see Fugaku walk into the room while adjusting his cuffs. She smiled sweetly at the sight of him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek once he reached her, "Everything is perfect. We'll be able to open the doors at seven as originally planned, and get Everything rolling by eight."

"Good." Fugaku kissed Mikoto's forehead before taking a look around the room, "Where's Sasuke?"

"He's in the lounge next door," a passing staffer called.

Mikoto let out a heavy sigh, "I'll talk to him. You stay around here and give them directions if they need it."

"Are you sure you don't want to be the one to give directions?" Fugaku teased.

"I already told them everything they needed to do, so they shouldn't need further instruction," Mikoto countered with a smile. She adjusted Fugaku's jacket and smoothed it out, "Just stand there and look handsome."

Fugaku rolled his eyes, and Mikoto giggled. She headed out of the event hall and made her way across the lobby to the member's only lounge. While there was a line forming outside of the bar, Mikoto had the luxury of just walking in.

She took a look around the room before spotting Sasuke on his own at the bar. She was sure he was already halfway down a bottle of vodka, and she prepared herself to scold her youngest. She made her way across the room, and she slipped into the seat beside him.

Just as she opened her mouth to scold him, she saw a plate of food sitting in front of him and saw the bartender empty a fresh bottle of coke into his glass.

"Thank you," Sasuke said politely before wiping his mouth. He ate for a few moments before stopping and glancing over at Mikoto, "Did you want me to order you something, or are you just admiring me?"

"Sorry," Mikoto apologized. "I uh… I thought you might've been drinking before tonight's festivities."

Sasuke simply shook his head, "Nope. Just grabbing something to eat. I probably won't be drinking until after my speech, and even then, it'll probably just be a glass of wine or some champagne."

"Weren't you dreading being here just the other day, though?" Mikoto asked.

Sasuke didn't say anything. Admittedly, he hadn't planned on attending tonight's banquet. Typically, it was Itachi who hosted the dinner the last few years, but this year, Itachi was scheduled to participate in a meeting with one of their biggest partners over in Kumo City. Because of Itachi's absence, he requested that Sasuke host the event instead of their parents.

"Will Karin be joining us this evening?" Mikoto asked.

"She's still on our honeymoon," Sasuke answered.

"Will she be back in time for our charity event?" Mikoto asked.

"She should be." Sasuke wasn't entirely sure that Karin would be, but he knew that that was the answer his mother wanted to hear.

Mikoto eyed Sasuke for a moment, "Hm. Make sure she's here, Sasuke. We have an image to uphold, and if my son's darling wife isn't by his side at one of our most significant events of the year, then it looks terrible. Karin wouldn't want to tarnish her image as an Uchiha already."

"She's not an Uchiha," Sasuke grumbled.

Mikoto sighed, "Sasuke-chan. She's your wife. Start acting like it." She got up from her stool and fixed the skirt of her dress, "Make sure you're back in the banquet hall in thirty minutes to greet our guests."

With that, Mikoto got up and left Sasuke's side. He sucked his teeth and pulled out his phone. He thought to call Karin and pass along his mother's warning, but Karin failing to appease his mother would be a dream come true.

Instead of finding Karin's name in his directory, he scrolled down to Sakura's name. He hadn't spoken to her or heard from her since she disappeared that morning. He understood why she ran, but he was hopeful that she would've been there that morning.

Instead of calling, he put his phone away. He finished his meal and headed back to the banquet hall. He let his mother adjust his already perfect tie and jacket, and once she was satisfied, she was off.

Guests started arriving at eight, and most of them were donors and sponsors for the Uchiha Enterprise Grant. Sasuke put on his best smile and socialized as his mother and father had trained.

"You look so ecstatic to be here," Naruto teased as he shook Sasuke's hand before hugging him. "I take it you haven't spoken to Sakura?"

Sasuke shook his head, "I haven't called, and she hasn't called."

Hinata pursed her lips together, "Honestly, Sasuke. I've never known you to be passive."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Hinata, but his attention was off of her in no time at all. Naruto and Hinata saw that Sasuke was looking past the two of them, and as they turned to see where his attention had gone, they saw her.

Sakura stood at the hall's entrance and was in the middle of checking in. Behind her, Sakura's mother, stepfather, and stepbrother, all lingered and carried on their conversation. Once she was clear, she walked in, and then she saw him.

"Isn't someone from the Outsutsuki supposed to be here?" Kimimaro asked.

"Supposed to be," Keisuke confirmed. "You know how they are; they usually arrive fashionably late to make a statement. It usually doesn't matter what the event is; they always find a way to make it all about them."

"That sounds a bit annoying," Mebuki grumbled. "This is Sakura-chan's big night. I don't want anyone to take that away from her."

Kimimaro chuckled, "It's not just Sakura's night, Mebuki-san. She's not the only recipient of this grant."

"Doesn't matter," Mebuki argued.

"Haruno Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked away from Sasuke and saw Mikoto had approached them, "Ah, yes. I'm Haruno Sakura. This is my mother, Kaguya Mebuki, her husband Kaguya Keisuke, and his son Kaguya Kimimaro."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mebuki-san, and it's good to see you again, Keisuke-san," Mikoto greeted them. "And Kimimaro, you're as handsome as always."

"Thank you, Lady Mikoto." Kimimaro grinned.

"You look lovely in that dress, Sakura," Mikoto complimented. "Kushina-chan had gushed about what a beauty you were, but she did you no justice. And Mebuki-san, I'm sure you're just thrilled for Sakura-chan."

"Of course," Mebuki exclaimed. "Sakura-chan has always been so hardworking, and going to medical school has always been her dream. I'm just relieved that her hard work is finally being realized and that she's getting the opportunity to take that next step towards her future."

"I'm sure she'll do wonderfully," Mikoto agreed. "I need to go greet some more guests, so please, mingle and help yourselves. We'll be beginning the award ceremony in forty-five minutes."

"Come on, Mebuki," Keisuke put his hand on Mebuki's waist, "let me introduce you around."

"Is that what it feels like to be one of the elites?" Mebuki wondered aloud.

Keisuke chuckled as he walked away with Mebuki.

"Well, I'm off to get a beer or something," Kimimaro announced, but as he began to walk away, he felt Sakura grab his sleeve. "Hm? What is it?"

"Stay with me, please?" Sakura asked.

Kimimaro thought to say no, but he saw the way Sakura seemed to try and fold into herself. He let out a heavy sigh and scratched his cheek, "Fine. I guess I can hang around you for a little bit."

While Kimimaro mingled with Sakura on his arm, Sasuke tried to find the right words. He wanted to be cordial and greet Sakura, but he knew that the minute he got in front of her, he'd let everything he was thinking spill out. So instead, he kept his distance and watched as Sakura socialized with strangers, and then laugh with Naruto.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke regrettably pulled his eyes away from Sakura and looked at his mother, "Yes?"

"It's time for you to host the ceremonies," Mikoto reminded him. "Go on."

Sasuke simply nodded. He grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray and downed it in three gulps before heading off towards the main stage. Mikoto let out a low groan and rubbed the bridge of her nose before heading off in the opposite direction.

"Is he ready?" Fugaku asked as Mikoto joined him at their table.

"As ready as he wants to be," Mikoto grumbled. "That boy of ours seems to be becoming more and more defiant with each passing day. I don't understand."

"You shouldn't have made him get married to Karin," Kushina sang before taking a sip of her wine.

"Wasn't it your idea, Kushina?" Fugaku asked.

"My idea was that he marries Naruto-chan, but they both turned out to be straight," Kushina whined.

Minato shook his head, "Kushina-chan."

"Shh, Sasuke-chan is about to speak," Kushina fussed.

"Good evening," Sasuke politely greeted the crowd before him and made sure to wear a warm smile on his face, "on behalf of Uchiha Enterprise, allow me to welcome you to our 81st Uchiha Enterprise Grant Recipients' Banquet."

There was a gentle round of applause from the audience.

"For starters, I would like to thank our donors for their annual contribution to this year's fund for the grants recipients," Sasuke continued. "Because of your donations, we were able to hand out twice as many grants as the year before. So, thank you sincerely for your contribution to bettering Konoha's future."

"He's handsome, isn't he?" Mebuki whispered as she nudged Sakura.

Sakura simply nodded.

"This evening, we'll be acknowledging the remarkable individuals who have earned themselves the Uchiha Enterprise Grant. As you all know, qualifications necessary to become a recipient simply state that you must exceed any and all expectations for an individual in your field. You must excel in academics as well as extracurriculars, and show renowned promise as a future prominent individual in your respective fields. This evening, I believe each of those exceeds even the rigorous expectations of the Uchiha."

There was a light chuckle from the crowd, and Sakura couldn't help but notice that he had fixed his gaze on her when he said that.

"We'll hear from several past recipients of the Uchiha Enterprise Grant. Then we'll proceed with the awarding of the certificates to this year's recipients," Sasuke explained. "So, let's begin, shall we?"

From there, several men and women who had previously received the grant came up and spoke about all they were able to accomplish with its help. Each of the stories was heartfelt and inspirational, and Sakura felt more and more hopeful with each account.

Then it came time for her and the other recipients to take the stage. She stood in a line on the back of the stage while Sasuke said a little bit about each of them. He simply stated their current universities and what their career plans were. They were short and sweet. Then it came time for him to hand out each of their certificates.

Sasuke handed each of them a framed certificate, paired with a handshake and a photo. Sakura had half a mind to excuse herself off the stage, but she knew it would be inappropriate. She didn't want Sasuke to touch her. Not because she was upset with him, but because she knew what his touch did to her.

"Congratulations, Ms. Haruno."

Sakura had gotten lost in her train of thought that she hadn't noticed Sasuke standing in front of her. She smiled at him and took his outstretched hand, "Thank you."

A jolt passed through the two of them, and while Sasuke's face remained calm, every inch of him was screaming. Sakura's face wasn't as composed as her cheeks turned pink. He took her certificate from his stage assistant and handed it over to her before standing beside her.

Sasuke placed his hand on the small of her back, and Sakura caught her breath. She immediately thought of where else his hand had been, and how she wanted his hand there again.

"All right, smile," the photographer requested on impulse. Sasuke hadn't smiled in the last ten pictures, so he wasn't sure why he still tried. But, to their surprise, Sasuke cracked a bit of a smile. The photographer snapped the photo.

"Congratulations again," Sasuke said. He slid his hand off her waist before moving onto the next person.

After a few more handshakes and photos, Sasuke gave his closing remarks, and the recipients took one last group photo before coming off the stage.

As Sakura stepped off the stage, she walked over to her mother and handed her the certificate, "Can you hold this for me? I need to run to the bathroom."

"Huh? Ah sure," Mebuki agreed, and before she could offer to go with her, Sakura ran off.

Sasuke was in the middle of speaking with Naruto when he saw Sakura hurry out of the banquet hall. He didn't say anything as he instinctively followed after Sakura and Naruto and Hinata noticed.

"Give them a minute," Hinata suggested as she held Naruto's hand.

Sakura hurried into the women's restroom and dropped her clutch onto the counter. She buried her face in her hands and let out a frustrated groan. Every inch of her felt like it was on fire, and her heart pounded relentlessly against her chest.

She felt herself on the verge of tears, and as the bathroom door opened, she tried to compose herself. She turned her back to the door and sniffled.

"Sakura."

She felt a chill run down her spine at the sound of her name. She turned and saw Sasuke standing just across from her with a concerned expression on his face, "Don't do that."

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked as he tried to take a step towards her, but he saw how she took a step back. "Sakura?"

"Please stop," Sakura pleaded. "Please stop saying my name."

Sasuke pursed his lips together.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Sakura whined as she began to pace.

"Sakura." Sasuke took a step towards her.

"Don't!" Sakura begged. "I shouldn't be feeling this way. I _can't _feel this way. You're married."

"Trust me, the last thing I want is to be married to Karin," Sasuke told her.

"That's beside the point," Sakura argued. "There is a ring on your finger, and you are married. I am a nobody, and you're somebody. I'm probably not your first mistress, and I definitely won't be your last."

Without saying anything, Sasuke crossed the room to her and took her face in his hand. He pressed his lips against hers, and it was the sweetest feeling in the world to him. His soft lips against hers, and feeling her hands wrapped around his wrist sparked every nerve in his body.

He pulled away from her and put his forehead against hers, "I could lose everything if my mother ever found out who you are to me, and I wouldn't care. I am willing to forsake my family name, leave the cushy job, get rid of the clothes, the cars, the luxury of it all if it meant I could be with you."

"You're just saying that."

"I have never met a woman as remarkable as you, and I doubt I ever will again," Sasuke told her. "I know you feel overwhelmed, but please, know I am just as overwhelmed. I've never felt this way about anybody, and the thought of losing you is something I can't fathom."

"Sasuke," Sakura shook her head, "we can't. We shouldn't."

A pained look came across Sasuke's face as he stepped away from her.

"Tell me now that you don't want me, then," Sasuke demanded. "If I hear you say it, then I will give up on whatever this is. I will never contact you again, I will never look your direction, and I won't even glance at you if we pass each other by on the street. We can go back to being total strangers if that is what you want, but I will only do that if you can tell me right here and right now that you don't want me."

Sakura's voice caught in her throat. She _wanted _to say she didn't want him. Instead, she _needed _to say that she didn't want him.

"Call me crazy if you want, but I want you, Sakura," Sasuke confessed. "You are _all _I want. If you tell me that you want me, I will do everything in my power to make sure I get my marriage to Karin annulled. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are protected, and I swear that there won't be a day that goes by where you don't know that you are the absolute best decision in my life."

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes.

"You are what's it for me, Sakura," Sasuke breathed. "Whether you believe that or not is on you, but if you don't believe me, I'll spend every day for the rest of my life proving to you that it's true."

Sakura didn't say anything. She opted not to. Her mouth was on his in that next moment, and the relief that washed over Sasuke was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he felt her fingers find their way through his hair.

For a moment, it was just the two of them wrapped around each other. But their bubble popped when the bathroom door opened. Sakura stepped away from Sasuke and turned away from him, but the situation appeared just as damning as it was.

"Hinata," Sasuke sounded a bit relieved.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder and saw Naruto's fiancée standing at the bathroom's entrance. She didn't wear any particular expression, and when her eyes moved to her, she saw the look of concern.

"Naruto-kun asked me to come check on you," Hinata said. She looked at Sasuke next, "He's outside."

"Right." Sasuke started to leave, but Hinata held out her arm. He stopped and watched as she rummaged into her clutch before producing a small wet wipe packet.

She waved her finger around her mouth, and Sasuke got the hint. He quietly nodded, wiped his mouth, then headed out the bathroom. Hinata let out a heavy sigh as she made her way over to Sakura and picked up her clutch.

"You're not going to say anything?" Sakura asked.

"Is there anything to say?" Hinata asked.

"Aren't the Hyuuga supposed to be extremely morally conscience?"

"Supposed to be." Hinata found Sakura's make-up, "I don't know if you know this, but I broke up with my fiancée at his birthday party to be with Naruto."

"I heard something about that," Sakura muttered.

Hinata gestured to a nearby seat, and Sakura sat down. Hinata began to work on fixing Sakura's make-up with a carefulness Sakura hadn't seen before, "I remember the secret meetings. I also remember the stress of it all."

"You had an affair with Naruto while you were with your fiancé?"

"To be fair, it was an arranged marriage that I didn't agree to in the slightest," Hinata confessed. "The Outsutsuki, they're dominant over the Hyuuga, so if they say 'jump,' we have to ask, 'how high.' It's not fun, but they're also not that demanding. However, when they are, they are."

"So, you never wanted to be with him?" Sakura asked.

Hinata smiled a bit, "Not even a little. Toneri used to be a sweet kid, but as he got older and started reaping more of the benefits that came with being an Outsutsuki, he became incredibly pretentious. It was exhausting being around him, so when they initially proposed that I marry him, I refused. But then Lady Kaguya intervened, and I had no choice."

"Then, after you left Toneri, the Outsutsuki tried to tarnish your reputation," Sakura uttered.

"Tried," Hinata reiterated. "I'm fortunate for the people around me who know better. And I'm fortunate to have been born into the family that I was born into."

"I don't have that luxury," Sakura said quietly. "Sasuke will be left unblemished if it ever got out that he had feelings for someone that wasn't his wife. I'd get ridiculed, and I could lose everything."

"Knowing Sasuke, he won't let you get hurt," Hinata assured her. "I know it's scary, but if there's anything I've learned, it's that you need to follow your heart. If you have feelings for Sasuke, and he has feelings for you too, then don't miss the opportunity to be happy."

"He's married," Sakura stressed.

"If it were up to Sasuke, he'd still be single," Hinata told her. "I know it's scary, but I've never seen Sasuke glow like the way he does when he talks about you. Even when he saw you walk in tonight, he saw no one _but _you. When everyone in the room disappears, and it's just the two of you, then you know it's something that comes once in a lifetime.

"If you don't pursue things with Sasuke, you're going to spend the rest of your life trying to chase that feeling he gave you. And I promise you'll only be disappointed with every man you pick to try and fill that space where Sasuke should be," Hinata warned. "I'm speaking from experience. I tried to make Toneri be that person for me, and it failed every time."

Sakura looked down, "I'm scared."

"Then that means it's real," Hinata said.

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Last Time: **

"_**Call me crazy if you want, but I want you, Sakura," Sasuke confessed. "You are all I want. If you tell me that you want me, I will do everything in my power to make sure I get my marriage to Karin annulled. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are protected, and I swear that there won't be a day that goes by where you don't know that you are the absolute best decision in my life." **_

_**Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes. **_

"_**You are what's it for me, Sakura," Sasuke breathed. "Whether you believe that or not is on you, but if you don't believe me, I'll spend every day for the rest of my life proving to you that it's true."**_

**Infidelity: Chapter 11 – Can't Get Enough**

After Sakura and Hinata came out of the bathroom, they saw Naruto and Sasuke were sitting silently by one another on a bench in the hallway. Sasuke had composed himself, and Naruto seemed distracted by something on his phone.

As the bathroom door swung close behind them, Sasuke was the first of them to look up. He stood up but kept his distance.

"The two of you are going to need to be careful," Hinata warned as Sakura walked over to Sasuke and grabbed hold of his hand.

"We'll cover for you when we can," Naruto added as he tucked his phone away and stood up. "After all, Sasuke, you helped Hinata and me when we were in the same predicament, but you have to understand that we can't be your cover all the time. A lot of the work is going to be on the two of you until Sasuke can get his marriage annulled, or he gets a divorce."

"It's not going to be easy to convince my parents to let me leave Karin," Sasuke argued.

Naruto shrugged, "As I said, you'll need to figure out what it's going to take for them to let you leave her. Or, if you're feeling defiant, file the paperwork yourself."

"You know it's not that easy with a mother like mine," Sasuke scoffed.

"Nevertheless, you'll need to figure something out," Hinata urged. "We've been gone from the party long enough; we should go."

"I'd like to leave," Sakura said as she looked up at Sasuke. "Take me somewhere, please?"

Sasuke saw the look in her eyes, and he nodded. He looked to Naruto, and Naruto could only let out a heavy sigh.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if we left early to go celebrate Sakura's achievement," Naruto suggested as he looked at Hinata. "I think I heard there was a pretty big party happening at _Haku's_."

"I think I heard the same thing," Hinata agreed. "_And _it's a blackout party," Hinata looked at Sasuke, "which means no phones or cameras."

Sasuke smiled a bit, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Naruto put his arm around Hinata's waist and kissed her temple, "Let's go."

Once they returned to the party, Naruto approached Sakura's mother and requested permission to take her out to celebrate. Mebuki was hesitant to agree at first, but once Sakura mentioned it was one of her few free nights, Mebuki agreed. As for Sasuke, he just had to tell his mother that he was headed home to finish some work he'd taken with him. She didn't argue or ask any questions.

Sakura climbed into Naruto's car with Hinata while Sasuke left on his own. Naruto drove for a few blocks to the nearest parking garage, and once they were parked, Sasuke pulled in next to them.

"Have a good night," Hinata said as Naruto climbed out of the car and made his way around to Sakura's door. "Also, if you ever need to talk, or you just want to hang out, then don't hesitate to call me."

"Thank you, Hinata," Sakura said with a relieved look on her face.

Hinata returned Sakura's look with a smile, "You're welcome."

Naruto helped Sakura out of his car before shutting the door. He saw Sasuke was out of his car with the passenger door opened, and once Sakura was in, Sasuke closed the door. Before Sasuke could go back to the driver's side, Naruto grabbed his arm.

"I'm not going to remind you of the conversation we've had already," Naruto began, "but do understand that everything I've said up until this point still stands. I love you like a brother, Sasuke, but I love Sakura more. Jeopardize her future, and dealing with your mother and father is going to be the least of your problems."

Sasuke nodded, "I won't hurt her. I promise."

"Good." Naruto let go of Sasuke's arm and climbed back into his car.

"Having fun threatening Sasuke like how he threatened you when we started dating?" Hinata teased and giggled when Naruto looked away.

Sasuke climbed into his car and smiled when Sakura slid her hand into his, "Where should we go?"

"Your place," Sakura said.

Sasuke kissed the back of her hand, "Right away."

As Sasuke drove, Sakura couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably in her seat. She was anxious and excited all at the same time, and Sasuke noticed. To tease her, Sasuke brushed his thumb against the back of Sakura's hand and watched as she shivered.

"Take your panties off," Sasuke ordered as he kissed the back of Sakura's hand.

Sakura hesitated for a moment, but she released Sasuke's hand and pulled her panties off underneath her dress. She held them up and giggled as Sasuke took them and tucked them into his pocket. She bit her lip as Sasuke's hand grabbed her thigh and squeezed.

As Sasuke felt on Sakura, she couldn't help but notice the bulge growing at his crotch. She got an idea, and a mischievous smirk came onto her lips as she reached over and ran her hand over his thigh.

"You look like you might be struggling a little bit," Sakura teased.

Sasuke chuckled, "Maybe a little."

Sakura carefully undid his belt and pants button. Then she pulled down the zipper and poked at his briefs, "You're a little too eager, aren't you, Sasuke-kun?"

"I had to stand by and watch you walk around in that dress all night," Sasuke reminded her. "Excuse me for being a little too eager."

Sakura giggled, "You like my dress?"

"I love that dress," Sasuke assured her. "However, I'm going to go ahead and apologize in advice if I destroy that dress tonight."

"You'll just need to buy me another one," Sakura said.

"That won't be a problem."

Sakura giggled, then she reached into his briefs. She wrapped her hand around his erection, and she enjoyed the sound of Sasuke catching his breath. She then leaned over, pulled his erection, and ran her tongue against it.

Sasuke groaned and immediately placed his hand on the back of Sakura's head. For Sasuke, it was agonizing because Sakura wouldn't put his throbbing erection into her mouth. For Sakura, it was fun because she got to tease Sasuke. She figured that the more worked up Sasuke was, the better things would be when they got back to his apartment.

And she was right.

When they made it back to Sasuke's apartment, and his car was parked, he had a fiery look in his eyes. Sakura gave him the most innocent look possible as she licked her lips and gently pumped her hand against his erection.

"Yes?" Sakura sang.

"Come here," Sasuke demanded as he lifted Sakura's face and pressed his mouth against hers.

Sakura let out a sweet moan as Sasuke's tongue wrapped around her and gasped when Sasuke pulled her into his lap. Without breaking their kiss, Sasuke lifted Sakura enough to position himself before lowering her back down onto him.

Sakura's whole body shivered at the feeling of Sasuke filling her up, and as she broke their kiss, she couldn't help but smile a little. "You couldn't wait until we got upstairs."

"Absolutely not," Sasuke confessed. "I just told you I had to watch you walk around in this dress for over half the night. I'm patient about a lot of things, but you're not one of them."

"Then I guess I shouldn't keep you waiting anymore," Sakura said as she pulled the straps of her dress down and exposed her breasts.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist and firmly grasped her ass before clasping his mouth onto one of her nipples. Then, Sakura began to move her hips. It didn't take long before the windows of Sasuke's car fogged up, and it rocked rhythmically in that dead parking lot.

"Fuck," Sasuke groaned as he watched Sakura continue to ride him, the two of them an absolute mess where they were connected.

"I missed you," Sakura confessed.

Sasuke smiled a little, "I missed you too."

Sakura continued to ride him until her thighs burned, and her hips ached. She couldn't stop, though, but it wasn't like she wanted to either. She had craved him every minute of every day since, and though she had tried and tried to deny what she felt for him, there was no denying it. So, she relinquished herself to it.

"Wait," Sasuke breathed as he grabbed Sakura's hips, "wait."

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked between pants.

Sasuke began to kiss her neck, "I need to get you upstairs. I can't do what I want to do to you in this car."

"You haven't cum yet, though," Sakura whined.

Sasuke chuckled, "Don't worry. There's plenty of time for that."

Though Sakura didn't want to, she got off of Sasuke. She was saddened by the sudden emptiness she felt, but she fixed her dress while Sasuke fixed his pants. Together, they got out of his car and headed upstairs to his penthouse.

Once inside, Sasuke picked Sakura up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Sakura giggled as Sasuke carried her upstairs and into the master bedroom. He laid Sakura down and began stripping himself of his suit while Sakura wiggled out of her dress. She helped him with his pants while he unbuttoned his shirt, and once his throbbing erection was free from his briefs, he was inside of her.

He held Sakura's legs back and thrust as deep as he could into her. Sakura's moans filled the apartment in no time, and as she tightened up around him, Sasuke let out a low groan from the back of his throat.

He wasn't sure what it was that Sakura did to him, or what she had done to him, but he liked it. Seeing her spread out in front of him and flustered heightened all of his senses, and he craved to see more of it for longer. So he did.

He made a mess of her, and her of him. There was barely a moment of the day where he wasn't inside of her, or her touching him. They barely took breaks to eat, and their only real breaks came when they slept. But as soon as one of them was awake, they were on the other like clockwork.

It was a week before they left his apartment.

**To Be Continued…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Last Time: **

_**It was a week before they left his apartment. **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 12 – Monday**

Having to return to reality is what Sakura dreaded most about leaving Sasuke's apartment that morning. She had enjoyed the seven days of near nothingness that she had enveloped herself in with him, and for the first time in an agonizingly long time, she was relaxed.

The car ride back to her apartment from his was quiet, and she didn't mind. Her fingers were laced with his, and she enjoyed the feeling of his thumb brushing against the back of her hand. When they made it back to Sakura's apartment, Sasuke seemed -weary.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know how comfortable I am with you staying in this neighborhood," Sasuke confessed as he looked at Sakura. "There should be plenty of apartments available near the university, right?"

"I mean, sure," Sakura shrugged, "but I can't exactly afford any of those. Even with all my jobs, I barely make enough to afford the place I'm in, and I don't want to move in with my mom and her husband."

Sasuke thought for a moment, then he looked at Sakura, "I'll cover it."

"Cover what, exactly?" Sakura asked.

"The apartment near campus," Sasuke said. "I'll cover rent and utilities, and if you want to keep working, then I trust you can handle any minor necessities and luxuries."

Sakura puffed her cheeks out, and Sasuke chuckled. "It's not funny," Sakura whined. "I like my apartment here because it's mine. I got it all on my own, and I'm taking care of it all on my own. I'm proud of it."

Sasuke sighed, "Is that so?"

Sakura nodded, "Mm."

Sasuke pursed his lips together, but then he sighed again, "Fine."

Sakura giggled, "Thank you."

"I gotta get going, but I'll call you when I get a break," Sasuke assured her as he leaned in towards her. "And hopefully, I can see you again tonight."

Sakura leaned in as well, "You're not sick of me yet?"

"Not even close," Sasuke answered.

He pressed his lips against Sakura's, and it was tender and sweet. Sakura wanted the moment to last a lifetime, but they were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. They pulled away from one another, and Sakura giggled at the frustrated expression on Sasuke's face.

"Have a good day," Sakura called as she climbed out his car.

"I'll do my best," Sasuke called back.

Sakura smiled and waved at him before making her way into her building. Once inside, she looked back and saw Sasuke still waiting. She waved once more, and with that, Sasuke drove off. She rolled her eyes before making the climb up to her apartment.

"Well, look who's finally home."

Sakura came out onto the landing and saw Itsuki outside of his apartment, and for some reason, she felt ashamed. She had disappeared for a week, and in that time, she'd only responded to a few texts with extremely vague responses.

"Haruno Sakura never goes on vacation," Itsuki noted.

Sakura shrugged, "My mother insisted."

"Did she now?" Itsuki raised an eyebrow.

Sakura nodded, "She figured I could use a break, and she wasn't wrong. I had just earned a huge grant that's going to cover all my years of medical school, and it's not like I earned that overnight. That was years of hard work, dedication, and focus on maintaining my grades. So, I figured going on vacation was warranted."

Itsuki chuckled, "I suppose that's fair. Well, at least call next time. The homeless guy by the train station even asked about you. Oh, and your dad came by looking for you. He looked kinda beaten up, so you might wanna give him a call."

Sakura sighed, "Yeah. I'll do that."

"There you are!"

Sakura and Itsuki looked towards the stairs and saw Kizashi limping his way up them. Sakura didn't move as Kizashi ascended the last few stairs on his own, and when he made it onto the landing, Sakura saw just how bad of a shape he was in.

"I've been looking for you," Kizashi exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"Out," Sakura answered. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else right now?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Kizashi groaned as he leaned against the banister. It creaked a little under his weight, and Sakura tensed up a little. "I got jumped on my way there. I had stopped to get a burger, and some brats saw I had a wad of cash on me. They left me a dollar as a 'courtesy' or whatever."

Sakura pursed her lips together.

"Sakura." Itsuki got Sakura's attention.

"I got it, Itsuki." Sakura unlocked her apartment and stepped aside. "I'll get you cleaned up, Dad."

"Thank you," Kizashi breathed as he wobbled into Sakura's apartment and collapsed onto the couch.

Sakura walked into her apartment and shut the door before Itsuki could say anything. And instead of saying a word to her father, she simply grabbed the first aid kit and started tending to his wounds. Silence hung between the two of them like it always did, and Sakura found herself wishing she was back in the comfort of Sasuke's apartment.

"So, was that your boyfriend?" Kizashi asked.

"Who?" Sakura was in the middle of cleaning a wound on Kizashi's arm.

"The black-haired fellow in the fancy car," Kizashi said.

Sakura casually shook her head, "He's a friend of a friend. Naruto-nii knows him."

"Oh? You still talk to Naruto?" Kizashi seemed too enthusiastic about this information. "He's working for his family now, isn't he? I read somewhere that he was running Obsidian now. That's a stunning building and an even more beautiful hotel."

"Yup." Sakura figured the less she said, the better. "He just happened to come into where I work. I rarely see him."

"Say, do you think he could get me in to see Minato?" Kizashi beamed. "I-I got sketches and ideas. I just haven't shown them yet because only Uzumaki Industries can build 'em."

Sakura looked at Kizashi. She had half a mind to throw him out then and there, but then she looked at his wounds. She would never admit it aloud, but she had a soft spot for Kizashi despite all he'd done. Her mother used to say he was a product of his circumstances, and it wasn't until she was older that she understood what that meant.

Kizashi's parents, Sakura's grandparents, had been addicts too. Kizashi grew up in a poor neighborhood just like Sakura lived in, and had worked harder than anybody in his class to get to where he had been. He paid his own way through school and scrounged together every scholarship he could possibly apply for. He was lucky enough to have met Kushina while in school, and through her, he got his interview with Uzumaki Industries. But then all it took was one failure and dive into a deep depression that landed Kizashi in the pit of addiction he'd fought so hard to avoid falling in to.

"I can't promise anything," Sakura muttered quietly.

"Thank you, Sakura." Kizashi was practically vibrating. "I just need a second chance, that's all. Minato knows that too. Ah, but I would need clothes if I'm gonna meet with him."

Sakura held her tongue. She stifled a smile, "I'll figure something out."

For the next hour, Kizashi talked about his project ideas. Sakura barely understood half of it, but she listened and acted interested anyway. Then in the middle of his rant, Kizashi caught a look at the alarm clock by Sakura's bed. He stood up quickly and started to fidget.

"I-I gotta go. I didn't realize the time," Kizashi stammered.

"Is everything okay?" Sakura asked.

Kizashi nodded, "Ye-yeah. Yeah. Everything's cool. Do you have any cash on you? I wanna buy some things on my own and maybe grab a bite to eat?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah. Hang on." Sakura walked over to her purse and looked inside. To her surprise, she saw a money clip struggling to hold together a wad of cash that she didn't put there. Then she saw the Uchiha Crest etched into the clip. "He must've dropped it?"

"Sakura?" Kizashi sounded anxious.

"Just a second." Sakura picked up the money clip and pulled it off. She flipped through it and estimated that a few thousand dollars were in it. Then a note fell. She picked it up, opened it, and saw Sasuke's handwriting.

"Keep it," Sakura read.

"Where did you get that?" Kizashi's eyes were fixated on the thousands of dollars in Sakura's hand.

"Here." Sakura counted out five hundred and handed it to him. "I'll get you a prepaid debit card and load some money onto there. In the meantime, use that to get some food, some clothes, and a few nights in a hotel. Okay?"

Kizashi couldn't take his eyes off the money in her hand, "Yeah. You'll give me more, right?"

"Later," Sakura assured him. "I have to go to school in a few hours, so I'll try and get you the debit card by the end of today."

Kizashi nodded, "Right. Okay. I'll see you soon, Sakura."

Kizashi left. Sakura couldn't help but feel uneasy about Kizashi's sudden jitters, but she didn't dwell on it long. She couldn't help but lock all of the locks on her door, though.

Once her nerves calmed down, she showered, changed, and headed out. Though she had walked the same route over a thousand times, today felt too different. She was uneasy, and she felt herself clutching to her purse tighter than usual.

She had left a majority of the money Sasuke gave her at home and tucked away in a hiding spot with the rest of her extra savings, but she still carried a generous amount with her. Whether it was the idea that she'd come into a few thousand dollars or her father showing up unannounced, she wasn't sure which one made her more uncomfortable.

As usual, she stopped and talked to the homeless man who hung around the train station and gave him a more than generous tip. The pure joy on his face was enough to calm her nerves. On her train ride to school, she thought about the list of finals she needed to cram for over the next two weeks before school let out for the spring.

Then her phone chimed.

Sasuke: _Miss me yet?_

Sakura: _Maybe a little. _

Sasuke: _Only a little? My feelings are hurt. _

Sakura: _Sorry, not sorry. Shouldn't you be working?_

Sasuke: _In the middle of a meeting right now, actually. I got bored. _

Sakura: _Shame on you. Focus on your meeting. _

Sasuke: _I can't. You keep texting me back._

Sakura rolled her eyes but smiled.

Sakura: _Fine. I won't text you back anymore. Enjoy your day at work. _

Sasuke: _Now you're just being mean. _

Sakura: _Just a little. Call me later?_

Sasuke: _Of course._

The rest of Sakura's day was the usual mundane routine. She attended her classes, listened to the lectures, and chatted with friends. Some professors expressed some curiosity about Sakura's sudden disappearance, but seeing as she kept up with assignments and emailed them regarding the lectures she missed, they didn't pry too much.

Admittedly, on Sakura's behalf, she had viewed a few of the lectures while in a more or less compromising position. She didn't say this out loud, though, obviously. And she enjoyed the thought of her little secret. She was willing to admit she'd been a bit of a bore before, so it was nice to have something out of the ordinary finally happen.

"So," Tayuya, a music major and Sakura's friend, strolled beside Sakura with the usual pep in her step, "what's his name?"

"What're you talking about?" Sakura feigned ignorance.

"The only thing capable of keeping Haruno Sakura away from her studies is a dick with magical powers, so," Tayuya nudged her, "what's his name?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "There isn't a guy. And don't talk like that, it's embarrassing."

"Some guys find it charming that I'm so unfiltered," Tayuya argued. "Well, if it's not a guy, I guess I should ask if you're okay?"

"I'm okay," Sakura said. "I just needed a break."

"Yeah," Tayuya agreed. "You always work so hard; it doesn't hurt to rest every once in a while. I'm glad you did, though. You look refreshed."

Sakura smiled, "Thank you."

"Are you done for the day?" Tayuya asked. "I could really go for some okonomiyaki."

"Me too, honestly," Sakura confessed. "Let's go."

Tayuya stopped. She blinked a few times, and Sakura looked at her.

"What?"

"You actually agreed to get food with me," Tayuya explained. "That _never _happens."

Sakura shrugged, "I figured I could allow some leniency in my schedule."

Tayuya grinned and linked her arm with Sakura's, "I like this new you. And when you're ready to tell me what his name is, I'll be there to listen. Because if he's able to loosen you up like this, then clearly he's doing something right."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Let's just go eat before I change my mind, Tayuya."

Together, Sakura and Tayuya went to the okonomiyaki restaurant near their campus. They ate and drank a few beers before a group of Tayuya's classmates came in.

"We're going to karaoke," Sakon, one of a set of twins, announced. "You in?"

"Of course!" Tayuya exclaimed. She looked across the table at Sakura, "Is this new Sakura up for karaoke, or are you done for the night?"

"Karaoke sounds fun," Sakura agreed.

Together, the lot of them made their way to the train station and headed towards Central Konoha. When they got off at their station, they piled into a taxi.

"So, you're the infamous Sakura we hear Tayuya ramble on and on about," Jiroubou, then pudgiest of the bunch, said from the front seat. "With the way she talks about you, we half assume she's in love with you."

"Can it, Pudgy," Tayuya sneered.

Kidoumaru chuckled, "Leave Tayuya alone, Jiroubou. I'm sorry, Sakura, we're usually not this rowdy."

"That's a lie," Ukon grunted.

"Hey, didn't you get the Uchiha Enterprise Grant?" Jiroubou asked as he jerked his finger out the window. "Have you been to their headquarters yet?"

Sakura looked out the window and saw their taxi stopped a light just outside Uchiha Enterprise. She could see a few Uchiha lingering outside the building, then she spotted a blonde. After a set of Uchiha moved, Sakura saw Naruto talking to Sasuke just outside, the two of them holding their satchels.

"That's Uchiha Sasuke, isn't it?" Tayuya asked. "The one who married Uzumaki Karin. I saw a few photos from their wedding. It was gorgeous."

"I heard he hates her though," Kidoumaru commented. "There was a rumor a while ago that Karin cheated on Sasuke when they were still in high school."

"Where did you hear that?" Sakon asked.

"Through the grapevine," Kidoumaru answered.

"If you suggest that we go and get ramen, I'm going to go home," Sasuke warned Naruto.

Naruto grumbled, "Fine. We can get something else."

Sasuke chuckled, then he caught sight of the taxi stopped at the light. Through the barely tinted windows, he saw Sakura looking at him, and he smiled. He pulled out his phone and sent her a text.

Sasuke: _Friends? _

Sakura: _Sorta. Friends of friends. Tell Naruto I said hi._

"Sakura says, 'hi.'" Sasuke flashed his phone to Naruto.

"Yoink." Naruto snatched Sasuke's phone.

Naruto: _Sakura-chan! Hinata wants to hang out. _

Sakura: _She does? _

Naruto: _She does. She wants to go shopping. Here's her number: XXX-XXX-XXXX. Give her a call when you're free. _

Sakura: _I'll do that. Give the phone back to Sasuke. _

Naruto gave Sasuke his phone back, "Here you go."

Sasuke: _Can I come over tonight? _

Sakura: _You're not gonna want to be in my neighborhood after dark in your fancy car. I can guarantee it'll be missing before morning. _

Sasuke: _Oh, so I'd spend the night? _

Sakura: _Not the point, pervert. _

Sasuke: _I can always get another car._

Sakura: _PRE-TEN-TIOUS. _

Sasuke: _So, I'll see you tonight? _

Sakura: _If you want. _

Sasuke: _I more than want to. _

Tayuya noticed the slight blush on Sakura's cheeks. "Oh? Is it 'there isn't a guy?'"

"Shush." Sakura mushed Tayuya's face.

"Is Sakura going to your Wedding Shower in a few weeks?" Sasuke asked.

"She should be," Naruto answered. "She hasn't RSVP'd yet, but she really doesn't need to. Is she coming to this year's charity event?"

"I almost forgot about that," Sasuke admitted. "I can't invite her myself; it'll be in poor taste."

"I got you." Naruto took out his car keys, "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

While Sasuke and Naruto ate and shared a few beers, Sakura enjoyed karaoke with Tayuya and her classmates. It was close to midnight by the time they left the karaoke bar, and as Sakura fumbled for her phone in her tipsy state, Kidoumaru joined her.

"You need a ride home, Sakura?" Kidoumaru asked.

Sakura shook her head, "No. I can call a ride."

"Make sure you wait with her until her ride gets here," Tayuya exclaimed.

Kidoumaru waved, "I know. Get home safe."

"See you tomorrow, Kidou!" Sakon and Ukon called before the four of them climbed into a taxi.

Kidoumaru took a seat with Sakura on a nearby bench and stretched.

"I'm glad you finally got to join us," Kidoumaru admitted. "Tayuya's been going on and on about you, and she was always a little disappointed when you couldn't make it."

"Really?" Sakura looked at Kidoumaru. "I guess I was so focused on studying that I didn't notice. I'll need to apologize properly next time I see her."

Kidoumaru chuckled, "I think you appropriately apologized already. That's the happiest I've seen Tayuya in a minute. So, thank you, Sakura-san."

Sakura smiled a bit, "You're really nice, Kidoumaru."

"I try my best." Kidoumaru smiled.

Together, Kidoumaru and Sakura sat and chatted for a bit before an SUV pulled up. Kidoumaru looked up, and he watched as Naruto climbed out the driver's seat.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto sang as he walked over to her, "your chariot has arrived."

"Naruto-nii!" Sakura exclaimed as she stood up and hugged him. She rubbed her face in his chest, and Naruto chuckled. She looked up at him and smiled, "Hi."

"Hi." Naruto rubbed the top of Sakura's head, then looked at Kidoumaru, "You waited with her?"

Kidoumaru nodded, "I did. I wanted to make sure she had a ride before I left."

"Thank you." Naruto shook his hand. "Did you need a ride, also?"

Kidoumaru shook his head, "I'm fine calling an uber. Thank you, though."

"Good night, Kidoumaru-san," Sakura said.

"Good night, Sakura-san." Kidoumaru waved as Naruto helped Sakura into his car.

Once Sakura was buckled in, Naruto climbed into the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb. He handed Sakura a bottle of water, which she happily took.

"Hinata isn't with you?" Sakura asked.

"She has an early morning tomorrow, so she's already asleep," Naruto explained. "Did you have fun?"

Sakura nodded, "I did. I need to go out with them more often."

"I'm glad you had fun," Naruto admitted as he reached over and poked Sakura's cheek. "You were starting to develop wrinkles."

"Was not," Sakura whined as she waved his hand away.

Naruto chuckled, "Sure."

Once they reached Sakura's apartment, Naruto helped Sakura up to her apartment. Though she wasn't drunk, she definitely shouldn't be climbing that many flights of stairs on her own.

"You good?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded, "Mm. Thank you, Naruto-nii."

"You're welcome." Naruto rubbed Sakura's head again, "I'll see you again soon."

Sakura nodded again, "Mm! Good night."

"Good night." Naruto left, and Sakura unlocked her front door. She headed inside, and once she was flopped out onto her bed, she called Sasuke.

He answered on the second ring, "Hey."

"Hi," Sakura said. "I'm home."

"Had fun?" Sasuke asked.

"I did." Sakura rolled over onto her back, "Can you come over?"

"Weren't you worried about my car getting stolen?" Sasuke chuckled.

Sakura smiled a bit, "You can always buy another car, can't you?"

Sasuke chuckled, "I'll be over in a little bit."

"Hurry, please," Sakura pleaded in a sweet tone.

"I'll be there before you know it," Sasuke told her. With that, he hung up.

Sakura pulled herself out of bed and took a shower. She found the nicest piece of lingerie that she had and slipped that on. She wore a robe over that, and she patiently waited. It was nearly forty-five minutes to Sasuke's apartment, but there was a knock on her door in thirty.

"Did you break traffic laws to get here?" Sakura now sobered up, got up, and opened her door.

"Haruno Sakura?" a large man stood outside her door with four other men behind him.

"You have the wrong apartment," Sakura said quickly.

"Our apologies," the large man in front said. "Have a good night."

Sakura simply nodded. She started to close the door, but the door was kicked in, and Sakura fell back. She tried to scramble for the bat she kept by her bed, but one of the men grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back before she could reach it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man warned.

**To Be Continued…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Last Time: **

_** "Haruno Sakura?" a large man stood outside her door with four other men behind him. **_

_** "You have the wrong apartment," Sakura said quickly. **_

_** "Our apologies," the large man in front said. "Have a good night." **_

_** Sakura simply nodded. She started to close the door, but the door was kicked in, and Sakura fell back. She tried to scramble for the bat she kept by her bed, but one of the men grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back before she could reach it. **_

_** "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man warned. **_

**Infidelity: Chapter 13 – Tuesday**

"Take whatever you want," Sakura screamed.

"Take anything that seems valuable," the leader said as he pulled up a chair and took a seat. "We'll be out of your hair shortly; we're just collecting on a debt."

"A debt?" Sakura repeated. "I don't owe anybody anything."

The leader smiled, "You don't, but your old man does. You see, he borrowed a handsome sum of money from me, and he's past due on the bill. And because he's past due, that interest is piling up, and though I'm a patient man, I'm not _that _patient."

Sakura gritted her teeth, "How much does he owe you?"

"With interest? Five million yen," he said.

Sakura's eyes widened, "What?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. Allow me to introduce myself formally: I'm Kakuzu," he introduced himself. "The man holding you is my partner Hidan."

"I never would've guessed that that ugly bastard Kizashi would've had such a babe for a daughter," Hidan snickered as he brought his face closer to Sakura's. "It's almost a shame we'll have to mess you up."

Sakura's blood ran cold and tears filled her eyes.

"We aren't hurting her," Kakuzu said. "We just came to collect whatever is worth anything, and then we'll be on our way. We still need to check his ex-wife's house after all."

"No!" Sakura yelled. "Please, don't."

Kakuzu and Hidan exchanged a look.

"Look, girly," Kakuzu folded his arms, "we gotta collect on this debt one way or another. It looks bad for me if I continue to let Kizashi roam around without having faced repercussions, and if people start thinking they ain't gotta pay me back right away, then that's just bad for business."

Sakura gritted her teeth as tears threatened her eyes, "I'll pay it back! I just don't have all of it with me now, but I swear I'll pay it. Please, just don't go after my mother."

Hidan snickered, "Classic case of a child carrying a father's burden. Ya love to see it, don'tcha?"

"We ain't find much back here," one of their goons said as he came out carrying a few pieces of jewelry.

"There's ten thousand dollars in the ceiling tile above my shower," Sakura muttered quietly.

Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged another look.

"Go check," Kakuzu ordered.

The goon disappeared back into the bathroom. He was in there longer than Sakura would've expected, but when he came back out, she saw him holding a note. Crudely scribbled across the front was Sakura's name, and her heart sank when she recognized the handwriting.

Hidan snapped at the goon, and the goon walked over and handed Hidan the letter. Hidan released Sakura, and he watched as she sank into the floor. He tore open the letter and read aloud, "Sorry, Baby Girl. I'll pay you back someday. Kizashi."

Kakuzu snatched the letter from Hidan and read the short note for himself, "Stealing from his own daughter. I didn't think he would sink any lower than he already has, but I guess I was wrong."

"You think he couldn't sink any lower even though he's the one who told us to come here for our money?" Hidan scoffed. "I guess he just threw us off to buy himself time to hide somewhere."

"He told you to come here?" Sakura's voice was quiet as she looked up at Hidan and Kakuzu.

Hidan shrugged, "I meant it when I said yo daddy ain't no good, girly. But since you've taken on his debt, we'll be back in a week to collect it in its entirety."

"A week? I need more time than that!" Sakura argued.

"You're lucky you're getting a week," Kakuzu said. "One week, Haruno. One."

Kakuzu whistled, and his goons stopped searching the apartment. Then, without saying a word, they left. Sakura felt like she couldn't breathe for a little while, but when she could finally suck in a big gulp of air, she broke down. She pressed her forehead to the ground, and with all the energy she had left, she left out a harrowing scream.

Then, the door opened.

"Sakura?" It was Sasuke. He'd been making his way up the stairs when he heard Sakura scream. At the sound of it, he took the steps two at a time until he was at Sakura's side. "Sakura, what's wrong? Talk to me."

Sakura clung to Sasuke and sobbed into his chest. As he held her, he looked around and saw Sakura's apartment had been tossed around. He looked down at Sakura, and with a quick once over of her, he didn't see a mark on her.

"Shh," Sasuke cooed as he squeezed her a little tighter. "I'm here."

Sakura stayed there clinging to Sasuke for a long while before she finally let go. Sasuke wiped away the tears that still lingered on her cheeks, and the sight of her red nose and puffy eyes hit something deep inside Sasuke.

"Can I stay at your place?" Sakura asked.

"Of course," Sasuke agreed. He stood up first and carefully helped Sakura to her feet. While she changed into comfier clothes, Sasuke packed a bag for her.

Once she was packed, Sasuke left with Sakura. She didn't say a word for the entire car ride back to his place, and didn't say anything when she crawled into bed. Once she was asleep, Sasuke slipped out of the room and sent a text message.

Then his phone rang.

He rolled his eyes and answered, "You could've called me in the morning."

"Technically it's morning," Naruto countered with a playful snicker. "What's going on?"

"Someone broke into Sakura's apartment," Sasuke answered. "She's not hurt, but she's really shaken up."

"Oh?" There was a shift in Naruto's tone, and that made Sasuke shift uncomfortably where he stood. "I'll be over later."

"Okay," Sasuke said. "Thank you."

"Of course," Naruto sounded entirely too cheery. Then he hung up.

As promised, Naruto was at Sasuke's pent house the following morning. He'd brought breakfast, and he and Sasuke ate in silence. It was well past noon by the time Sakura came down and saw Naruto and Sasuke watching TV on the couch.

"Naruto?" Sakura got both their attention, "What're you doing here?"

"Sasuke asked me to come over," Naruto answered as he stood up with Sasuke.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked.

"I've been better," Sakura confessed. "Last night was just… a lot."

"Do you mind if I ask about what happened?" Naruto wondered.

Sakura shook her head, "Mm."

Then, Sakura told them. She started with mentioning her father had shown up that morning, and walked them all the way through until Sasuke showed up. Naruto just sat and listened the whole time, and when she finished, he smiled.

"Was Kakuzu a tanned individual with stitches tattoos on his lips?" Naruto asked. "And Hidan is kind of pale with white hair? Snarky personality?"

"Ye-yeah," Sakura confirmed. She hadn't mentioned once what they looked like, "Do you know them?"

"Not personally," Naruto answered. He stood up and pulled out his phone, "If you'll excuse me, I need to head into the office for a few hours. We have a big project we're prepping and the pitch is coming up."

"Ah, sure." Sakura nodded.

"We'll talk later?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded with his trademark grin, "You'll hear from me soon. Enjoy your day."

With that, Naruto left. Sakura couldn't help but feel a little uneasy by Naruto's words, and when she looked over at Sasuke, he saw a weary expression on his face.

"Say, Sasuke," Sakura held his hand, "is it too late to accept that offer on a new apartment?"

Sasuke smiled and shook his head, "Not at all." He kissed the back of her hand, "I'll call around and see what's available."

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
